Yours, Mine, and Ours
by AlexJanna
Summary: After his wife leaves and abandons their children, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a bit of quick upheaval make Harry see his life's not all irreparable.
1. Chapter One

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 8,031  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval makes Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

**Chapter One**

Harry looked out of the kitchen window with a heavy heart. He watched his children sit morosely at the picnic table in the back yard of the Burrow while their cousins played and chased each other through the grass. The cup of tea in his hands had long since gone cold, but he couldn't bring himself to set it down.

"If I had known things had gotten so bad I would have- I don't know, quit or something." He sighed not willing to turn around and face Molly and Arthur.

Molly stepped up beside him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, dear." She said rubbing her cooking and nurturing weathered hands over his back. "You couldn't have known Ginny would do something like this."

He scoffed and lifted an arm to rest it against the cabinet next to the window. "I didn't know cause I was never around." He reminded her self deprecatingly. "I was always on assignment, or at a Ministry function, or -fuck- just not paying attention."

A yelp was wrenched out of him as Molly caught his ear in her deceptively strong hands and yanked. "There will be none of that language in my house, young man. You're not too old to be bent over my knee and don't you forget it!" She let his ear go, but her disapproving frown never left her pretty face.

"Ow." Harry rubbed at his smarting ear, but didn't even consider trying to argue with her. Molly Weasley was a force to reckoned with and if she said she could bend you ever her knee she wouldn't hesitate to do it if she thought you needed it.

"Now, none of us could have ever thought our Ginny would do something like this." She continued her face still angry, but her voice rang with that strength that meant everything was going to be fine and Mother always knows best. Harry just wished he could believe it.

"I don't know were I went wrong with my girl," she continued ignoring the protesting sound from her husband sitting at the table behind them, "but there is no excuse for what she did. Even if she was unhappy, she should have come to me if she felt she couldn't talk to you."

Harry stared at her for a moment, but still couldn't stop placing most of the blame on himself. He should have _seen_, or _been _there, or something and maybe none of this would have happened.

"Molly's right, Harry." Arthur finally spoke up. "Despite you being rather absent as of late, what Ginny did was inexcusable. There is nothing that could constitute abandoning her family the way she did." His words cracked with repressed anger and disappointment, and Harry couldn't really blame him.

Ginny had dropped their children off at the Burrow three weeks ago while Harry had been on assignment as British Wizard Ambassador in Egypt with the promise to pick them up in a couple of days. Needless to say she hadn't returned in a couple of days and she hadn't returned in a week. On the second week, when Harry had portkeyed back to the Ministry and flooed home in exhaustion hoping to finally spend some time with his family he'd found the house empty with no sign of habitation for sometime.

It was good thing he hadn't really panicked. Just apparated into the Burrow at two in the morning shouting for Molly and Arthur in a fit of near hysteria thinking his wife and kids had been kidnapped.

Molly and Arthur had sat him down in the kitchen shoved a plate of left overs at him and forced him to drink half a pot of tea before they looked at him with somber, tired faces and began to explain.

Ginny hadn't been heard from for two weeks. None of their sons knew where she could have gone. After questioning the children it had been discovered that not only was this not a surprise, but a rather regular occurrence while Harry was away on assignment. They had told their grandparents about their "Uncle Angelo" that had frequented breakfast when Harry wasn't around and that she was probably with him if she was gone.

Harry had wasted no time and began investigating to find his wife and this Angelo. He had little doubt of what he would find, but he just hoped it had been a misunderstanding. It wasn't.

Four days after sending out Feelers and running Trackers Harry found Ginny Potter and Angelo Gambini lounging mostly naked on a beach in the Virgin Islands.

His children had been basically taking care of themselves in their parents' absence. James had fed his siblings with omelets and cold sandwiches when they didn't floo to the Burrow and lie to Molly and Arthur saying their mother gave them permission. Albus and Lily traded off chores and did their best to keep the house in running order until either Harry returned or Ginny did.

A spike of pain lanced through his heart as he remembered all of this. How could he have been so blind? Or so neglectful himself? He had just assumed that Ginny would care for their children as he would while he was gone.

"How long had this been going on?" He asked into the silence that had descended on the kitchen.

"From what the children told us: a year, perhaps a bit more than that." Arthur answered when Molly suddenly made a distressed noise and turned to the kettle and began fiddling with it idly.

A sigh was pulled away from him and Harry rubbed at his face with his now empty hands. A year he had let his children go through this. A _year_!

His hands dropped away and his stared out of the kitchen window again just watching his children sadly. "I've already filed for divorce." He stated somewhat coldly considering his wife's parent's were in the kitchen with him. "Gringotts has been informed that Ginny is to have no access to the Potter or Black vaults whatsoever. She'd already nearly drained one of the small vaults while I was away. I won't let her get to anymore of my- the children's money."

Having said this he turned away from the window and looked at his in-laws, his adoptive parents, expecting reproof, outrage, anger. He was met with only sad resignation.

"We understand that it is the right thing to do, Harry." Arthur said quietly. "We just hope that you don't think you are unwelcome in our family after this. You are still our son, if you want to be."

The sudden catch in his throat surprised him. He nodded and blinked away the burning in his eyes. "Thank you."

"Dad?" The three adults looked over to the kitchen door to see James watching them with a sad wary look. "When can we go home?" He asked not meeting his father's eyes, choosing instead to stare at the old tiled floor.

"Oh, sweetheart." Molly rushed over and gathered the sullen boy into her arms. "Wouldn't you like to stay with me and your Grandpa? We could bake cookies and have hot chocolate."

"Molly," Harry interrupted from his place at the kitchen counter. "I think it would be best to take the kids home. They've been away for too long as it is."

"Oh, but Harry-" She was silenced by Arthur's hand on her shoulder.

"That's fine Harry. If you need anything don't hesitate to floo." Arthur urged with an understanding smile on his tired face.

* * *

Harry stepped out of the fireplace in his kitchen at Grimmauld Place with Lily on his hip and James and Albus already waiting for him. He looked around at the dusty kitchen and tried not to wrinkle his nose at the smell coming from the rancid dishes stacked in the sink and the thin layer of dust covering every surface. It was times like this when he dearly wished he could have a house-elf.

"Alright, guys. Why don't you go up stairs and get washed up while I..." He glanced around the kitchen again and sighed tiredly. "While I work on getting us some dinner."

None of the kids said anything while the three Potter siblings trudged quietly up the stairs without so much as glance at their father.

He guessed he deserved it for being gone almost half their lives, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

Squeezing his eyes shut he took three deep breaths before he rolled up his sleeves and pulled out his wand. There was only so much he could do without the cleaning supplies Ginny had neglected to restock, but at least he could get the kitchen in working condition before the kids came back down.

The dust had been vanished, the kitchen table wiped down, and the dish pile in the sink soaked and soaped thoroughly before James, Albus, and Lily peaked their heads in nearly an hour later.

Harry glanced over his shoulder and gave them a small smile. "Hey, come on in guys. I ordered Chinese from Wan Fu's so it should be popping through the floo in a bit. Why don't you pull out some plates and silver wear and set the table?"

James moved to the cabinet with the clean dishes while Albus moved to the one with the glasses and Lily pulled the silverware drawer open all without a word. Harry could have banged his head against the counter, their silence upset him so.

How long had it been since he'd really had a meal with his children? Too long. It was almost like he barely knew them now.

He rubbed at his chest with a soapy hand. That thought _hurt_.

Thirty minutes later Harry abandoned the un-salvageable stew pot in the sink and the take-away was divided four ways.

The children ate in total silence their gazes fixed on their plates and their heads lowered.

It was almost too much for Harry to bear.

"When is Mummy coming home?" Lily asked, her voice muffled with noddles, her pretty hazel-green eyes watching Harry warily.

Before he could answer James did it for him. "Mum's not coming home, Lily." He said dully. "She doesn't want us anymore."

The little girl looked at her brother with sad eyes, but nodded seeming to take this statement as fact.

"You don't want us either." Albus murmured so quietly that Harry nearly didn't catch it.

"What?" He asked in disbelief.

"You don't want us either. You're just here cause you don't have to work. I bet you never wanted us!" He yelled jumping up from his seat and dashing out of the kitchen with an angry red face and flashing emerald green eyes.

"Albus!" He shouted after his youngest son, but couldn't bring himself to chase after him. He sighed and buried his head in his hands.

"Is that true?" Lily asked after minutes of silence, her voice tiny and so sad. "You don't really want us?"

Harry pulled his face up and ran a shaking through his messy hair. "No, sweetie. I do want you. I love you and brothers with all my heart." He told her truthfully, but could tell that she didn't really believe him.

"Whatever." James scoffed before pushing away from the table. "If he really wanted us, Lily, he wouldn't be gone all the time." He told his five year-old sister with the conviction of an all knowing older brother. "Come on, let's go to bed."

She stared at him and nodded morosely before getting up herself and stepping over to take James' hand. "Goodnight, Daddy." She called quietly before they disappeared out of the kitchen.

Harry watched them leave with a ten ton weight on his chest. He'd let things get this way, he realized. With his all consuming work, and his over-seas assignments. There was no one to blame, but himself.

With a heavy sigh, he summoned a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey wandlessly and cracked the seal. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The next morning Harry sat on his marital bed staring at his open wardrobe wondering to himself whether he could really stand up and grab his business robes, floo over to the Burrow to drop his kids off, then apparate into the Ministry to start another day at work.

It took him a good ten minutes to decided that no, he really couldn't and just tugged on a pair of faded jeans, some beat-up trainers, a t-shirt, and a light spring jacket. No, he really couldn't.

An hour later, Harry Potter flooed into the Ministry with Lily sitting reluctantly on one hip, Albus clasping sullenly to his other hand, and James glaring lethally at him from the other side of his brother. Well, they certainly weren't a happy bunch, were they?

They trudged onto the lifts quietly amidst whispers and murmurs of busybody observers. Five year-old Lily hung onto her father's hand tightly while seven year-old Albus and nine year-old James followed behind quietly.

"Good morning, Potter." Greeted a balding, pot bellied bureaucrat from the other side of the lift. "Terribly sorry to hear about your wife, lad. Bad business that. And she was so pretty too. Guess us good old English thoroughbreds can't compete with the those Italian stallions, eh?" He chortled mightily to himself.

Harry grabbed onto James's shoulder before the young boy could launch himself at the older man and squeezed warningly. "Thank you, Peters. Do be so kind as to inform me when _your _wife finally decides to leave you for that French wizard she's been shagging behind your back. We can discuss it crudely and publicly in front of your children so that they can hear all the sordid details from someone else's lips." He said coldly.

The lift doors opened and Harry ushered his embarrassed and shamed kids out of the small compartment leaving a sputtering Peters and several speechless Ministry officials behind them.

He had never wanted to curse someone so much in his life than he did at that moment seeing the flushed, humiliated faces of his children. But that wouldn't help them. In truth he didn't know what would help them.

Keeping a tight hold on Lily's hand and checking over his shoulder to make sure Albus and James were still behind him, Harry lead the way to the Minister's office at the end of the hall and passed by the flustered secretary without even a glance. He wouldn't be there long anyway.

"Kingsley." He greeted curtly.

"Harry." The dark man greeted back in surprise. "What do I owe this pleasant surprise?" He asked, eyes flitting from each child's sullen face then back to their father's.

"I thought I would hand in my resignation personally." Harry answered still standing in front of the Minister of Magic's desk.

Kingsley Shacklebolt sighed resignedly and nodded. "And I can't try and convince you otherwise, can I?" He asked rather hopefully.

Harry just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kingsley, but no. I- I need to work on somethings. Maybe when I get everything sorted." He shrugged watching James kick at the blue carpeting from the corner of his eye.

"That's alright, Harry." Kingsley waved off his apology. "Take all the time you need, but remember there's always a place for you here at the Ministry if you want to come back." The tall dark man stood from behind his desk and held out a hand for him to shake.

Harry took it with a small thankful smile. "Thanks, Kingsley. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it." He said and watched as his best ambassador walked out of his office door followed by three of the saddest looking kids he'd ever seen. Sighing he fell back into his expensive leather chair and hoped with all his heart that everything would work out for them.

* * *

Harry flooed the kids to Diagon Alley with a mind to buy them some ice cream and hopefully start to reconnect with them. He stubbornly ignored the fact that he shouldn't have to reconnect with them at all.

They made it to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and four sundaes and a small table on the outside patio later Harry was watching his children pick at their melting ice cream sullenly. He sighed.

"Did Mummy really run away with an-an 'Italian Stallion'?" Lily asked drawing a few scandalized looks from the two old biddies at the next table.

Harry ignored them. "Your mum didn't run away with an 'Italian Stallion', sweetie." He said wishing fervently he didn't have to try and explain this.

"Don't lie!" Albus shouted suddenly drawing the attention of nearly everyone on the patio. "Mum did run away! She ran away from us!"

"Albus," Harry frowned at his raven headed, messy haired son. "Do not shout at me. And I did not lie."

"Yes you did!" He accused, not caring one jot how much attention he was garnering. "You lied! Mum ran away cause she didn't want us and it's all your fault!"

"Albus!" Harry shouted, but it was too late. The angry little boy had already shoved away from the table and dashed off the patio literally disappearing into the milling crowds in the Alley.

He cursed and rubbed angrily at his face with shaking hands.

"Great going, Dad." James sneered from across the table still poking at his melted ice cream.

"Not another word, James." Harry warned. "Not another word."

Albus weaved in and out of people as he ran as far away from his father as he could. Angry tears streamed down his face, but he kept going until he bounced off of a portly wizard and tumbled to the ground.

"Oi! Watch where you're going, young man!" The man yelled at him as Albus struggled to his feet his hands burning from where they broke his fall and got skinned on the cobbles of the Alley.

He sobbed in pain and fear realizing that he didn't have any idea where he was and looked around frantically for someplace to hide. To his right he saw a bright store front with trinkets and shiny things in the window. He darted for it and pushed the door open hurriedly shutting it behind him hard making the bell above it jingle shrilly.

Albus leaned against the smooth red painted door taking deep heaving breaths. His heart was pounding madly in his chest and his stomach was turning sickly in his belly. He'd yelled at his dad in front tons of people and now he was lost.

"Hey, are you okay?" A voice asked from his left.

Jumping in surprise, Albus spun around and rubbed furiously at his teary face with the backs of his bleeding hands. "What?" He croaked.

"I said, are you okay?" The little boy with silvery blond hair and gray eyes asked again in concern. He was dressed in nice clean robes and he inched closer to Albus apprehensively, his brow furrowing. "Why are you crying?"

"'M not!" He exclaimed. Albus sniffled miserably, and turned his head to dry his runny nose on the shoulder of his blue striped t-shirt. "'M not crying." He repeated.

The other boy's pert nose scrunched in disgust and he dug in his pocket to pull out a crisp white monogrammed handkerchief. "Here," he held it out to the messy snuffly thing in front of him. "My dad always says it's bad manners to wipe your nose on your sleeve."

Albus stared at the handkerchief warily for a moment before he took it and blew his nose in it. Done cleaning up his face he sniffled one last time and held the handkerchief back out to the blond boy.

He just scrunched his nose again and shook his hand at him. "That's okay. You can keep it. I've got tons. My dad had them made for me for Christmas." He said with a small smile.

Albus smiled back and stuffed the snotty cloth into the pocket of his jeans. "Thanks."

"My name's Scorpius." The little boy said holding out his hand to shake.

Reaching for it, he smiled. "I'm Albus."

Just as they were about to clasp hands Scorpius glanced down at them and gasped. "You're bleeding!" He exclaimed. "Come on, we gotta get my dad to fix it."

"What?" Albus didn't have any time to protest more than that because Scorpius snagged him under the elbow and began tugging to the back of the store.

Albus glanced around and saw that the shelves were filled all sorts of different things. Potion bottles, colorful candles, tins of candies and cookies, charmed jewelry, and things he didn't even recognize.

"Dad!" Scorpius yelled when the reached the counter at the back of the store and continued tugging Albus around behind it. "Dad!"

"What!" A man yelled from behind an ajar door in what appeared to be a back room. "Scorpius, what is it?"

"He skinned his hands, Dad!" Scorpius explained none too helpfully coming to a stop just behind the counter. "You have to fix it!"

"What?" The unseen man yelled back again sounded incredulous. "Who skinned his hands, Scorpius?"

Scorpius gave a long suffering sigh and Albus couldn't help, but giggle a little at him despite his sudden nervousness. "Albus, Dad!" The boy called back.

"Wha-?" The voice cut off then the door to the back room swung open to reveal a tall silvery blond man that looked almost exactly like Scorpius right down to his gray eyes and pert nose. "Albus?" He asked looking from his son to the little boy standing nervously behind him.

"Dad, this is Albus." Scorpius introduced with a smile. "He just came into the shop and he skinned his hands."

Draco stared down at the little boy nearly speechless. He knew exactly who this kid was. Well, he hadn't known his name, but he sure as shit knew who he belonged to. Those bright green eyes, that messy hair, that stubborn chin. There was only one place you could get all of that.

Shaking himself, he looked the boy up and down and saw immediately that he had been crying in the very recent past. Putting away his shock at seeing Harry Potter's son in his store, Draco stepped forward and crouched down to eye level with the shy little boy.

"You're Albus, eh?" He asked with a small reassuring smile on his face.

That messy head nodded once. "Yes, sir."

Draco almost chuckled. At least this kid was a hell of a lot cuter and well mannered than his father. He stood up and pulled the stool out from under the cash register. "Alright, Albus. since you've already met my son, I'll introduce myself, shall I?" He asked wryly. "I'm Draco Malfoy, this is my shop you've stumbled upon. Let's get you seated up here, so I can take a look at your hands, okay?"

Albus nodded and let Draco lift him under the arms and seat him on the tall stool behind the counter.

"Let's see those hands, now." He coaxed examining them gently when the little boy presented them palms up. He hissed in sympathy. "These don't look like they feel good." He commiserated. "How did you skin them?"

"I bumped into someone and fell." Albus mumbled shyly. Scorpius's Dad seemed really nice, but he was also intimidating. He looked proper and- and rich. He looked at the blond man's fancy robes and traced the embroidery with his eyes.

"That must have been some fall." Draco sympathized. "These aroe going to need to be cleaned before I can put the healing salve on them, alright?" He pulled out his wand, but waited for the little boy to nod before beginning.

"This is going to sting a little." He cautioned then murmured a handy scrape cleaning spell his mother had used on him in his childhood. Albus whimpered a little when the spell touched over his palms, but held perfectly still otherwise. "Perfect." Draco praised with a smile, that was returned timidly.

He turned around to the shelves of potions and salves behind the counter and snatched one off the stack. Unscrewing the little tin he dipped his fingers into it and steadied one of the little hands with his before rubbing the opaque cream over the abraded skin.

"This shouldn't take, but a minute to start working. You'll need to hold your hands still 'til your scrapes mend themselves then we can wipe you off and you're done." He explained as he covered the other hand expertly.

"Dad's healing potions are the best." Scorpius informed Albus from where he stood next to the stool watching. "He always heals me up every time I get hurt."

"Yes, which is much too often, you clumsy child of mine." Draco said with a raised eyebrow before leaning over and pinching his son playfully in the ribs making both boys giggle.

Turning back to Albus's hand's Draco looked them over again before pulling his own handkercheif from his pocket and wiping the salve away. "You're all done, Albus. Check them over and tell me if I missed a spot."

Albus examined his hands in amazement then turned those huge green eyes on Draco. "They're great, Mr. Malfoy. Thank you!"

Draco waved him off with a smirk. "Don't worry about it, kid. Just one more happy customer, eh? Hey, Scorpius. Why don't you take Albus to the back room and stuff him with those cookies your Grandmama forced on us this morning?"

"Okay, Dad!" The boy chirped and yanked Albus off the stool and pulled him toward the back room. "My Grandmama makes the best sugar cookies, ever!" He enthused exaggeratedly, making Draco chuckle quietly to himself as he watched his son drag Potter's son away.

The kid seemed alright, Draco figured, from the all of ten minutes he'd spent in the kid's company. A little quiet maybe, but polite and cute as any little boy is at that age. What on earth was the kid doing in his store alone?

Shaking his head, Draco resigned himself to waiting until Potter himself showed or closing time when he could take the boy home himself.

* * *

Harry spent the whole of the afternoon on the floo with Aurors, the Burrow, and Ministry trying to hunt down his son. After spending hours searching up and down Diagon Alley to no avail, he'd finally given up and taken James and Lily home to resume the search.

"Yes, I'm sure he's lost!" He shouted at the incompetent in the Department for Missing and Lost Children. "Seven hours, you asshole! My son has been missing for seven hours, and if you're not even going to try looking then I will have your fucking ass fired, Goddamnit!"

"What do you mean I don't have the authority?" He raged indignantly. "I'm Harry Fucking Potter, you twat! Don't you dare think for one second I won't floo Minister Shacklebolt right now and tell him what a fucking load of-"

Harry pulled his head out of the fireplace in surprise. "That fucker hung up on me." He said in bemusement. That's it, he was so fire-calling Kingsley now.

"Daddy, it's not good to say those words." Lily pipped up tentatively from behind him.

He sighed and ran a hand through his ashy hair. "I know, baby, but I'm very upset and I forget that those words aren't good to say when I'm upset."

"Whatever." Scoffed James. "You probably don't even want to find Albus. One less kid to worry about."

"That is enough!" Harry bellowed making both his children jump, his voice ringing off of walls in the kitchen.

"I have had enough of your attitude, James Sirius Potter! If you think you are the only one affected by your mother leaving then you are sorely mistaken. I am sorry I have not been here for you and your brother and sister like I should have, but there is nothing I can do for that now. I am your father like it or not and we have to work as a family to get through this. And if I hear one more unhelpful word out of your mouth you are grounded for a month. Do I make myself clear?" He stared into his son's angry sullen hazel eyes partially covered by a fall of auburn hair.

"Do I make myself clear?" He repeated calmer, but just as angry.

"Yes, sir." James grumbled through clinched teeth before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room.

Sighing, Harry rubbed at his eyes tiredly and fell back on his butt on the kitchen floor. He heard a miserable sniffle from the general direction of his daughter and could have kicked himself.

Lifting his head he felt his heart break a little more at the sight of his daughter's auburn hair falling into her flushed tear stained face.

"Aw, Lily, sweetie. I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" He asked wretchedly. She just sobbed and nodded her head keeping her face turned down. "Jeez, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't want to scare you." Standing up, he held his arms out to her. "Come on, Lily. Please stop crying."

She gave a great heave of breath and sobbed once more before flying into her daddy's arms and clutching at him like her life depended on it. Harry lifted her off the floor and wrapped his arms around her. Latching onto him like a starfish, Lily locked her legs around his waist and squeezed his neck in a near choke hold. Burying her face in his neck he finally began to bawl brokenly.

Blowing out a breath, Harry just stood in his kitchen and held onto her as tight as he dared. "I'm sorry, baby. Shh, it's okay." He kept saying hoping she would stop breaking his heart with her tears.

"I miss Mummy!" She sobbed into his skin and his slumped a little. "Why won't she come back? I don't want her to go!"

"I know." He soothed, and he did. "I miss your mother too." Not in the way he should: as a husband should miss his wife. He missed her in the way a father misses the mother of his children. And he couldn't be more angry with her for abandoning his children. "I don't know why she left, baby. If I did I would tell you, I promise."

Lily gave another great sob that shook her little body and made Harry scared she was going to hyperventilate. "I don't want you to go, either!" She confessed tears still soaking his neck and shoulder. "Please don't leave too."

If he ever saw Ginny again, she was so dead. Harry closed his eyes and prayed for some strength then walked from the kitchen and into the family sitting room with Lily still wrapped around him. He sat down gingerly on one of the plushy sofa's he'd furnished the room with and began rubbing Lily's back soothingly.

"I won't leave, Lily." He promised with such conviction. "I promise. You and your brothers are the most important things in my life. I wouldn't leave you for the world."

She unburied her face enough to look at him with bloodshot hazel eyes, he met them head on. "You promise?" She asked with catching breaths.

"I promise, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead and stroked a hand over her long auburn hair. "I promise."

Just then the door bell to number 12 Grimmauld Place gave a rusty chime. Harry looked up in confusion. Nobody that knew where he lived ever came to the front door; they always flooed into the kitchen or apparated at the back door.

Standing up, Harry shifted Lily to his left hip freeing one arm. "Let's see who's at the door."

He unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open only to blink dumbly at the sight on porch.

Draco Malfoy noted that Potter had matured well, even the red headed starfish attached to his side looked good on him. He gave his old school rival a smirk and drawled, "Good evening, Potter. I believe this belongs to you."

Harry stared dumbstruck as Malfoy urged a shamefaced Albus out from behind his legs and gave him a light push forward. "Albus?"

His son, shrank away from him, peeked up through his messy black bangs. "Hi Dad."

"Don't 'hi dad' me!" Harry scolded just now realizing how utterly worried he had been. The thought of losing Albus, any of his children, had made his heart shrivel. "Where on earth have you been? I've been worried sick. I called the Aurors, and the Minister, and your Aunt Hermione."

With that last one, Albus looked up horror plain all over his face. "No, not Aunt Hermione!"

"Yes." He said feeling no sympathy with the lecture his son was going to get from his aunt next time they saw her. "I called everywhere. I was worried sick. How could you just run off in the middle of Diagon Alley like that?"

"Come on, Potter. Don't be so hard on the kid." Draco chided, interrupting the father son scolding. "He spent most of the afternoon stuffing his face with cookies at my shop with Scorpius. Nothing happened to him. He's perfectly fine. No reason to sick Granger on the poor boy."

Harry turned his eyes from his red faced son to the old school rival on his front steps just remembering that they had an audience. It was then that he noticed the little blond boy standing on the other side of Malfoy staring at him with something akin to awe.

Shaking his head, he looked back at Malfoy incredulously. "Excuse me?"

Rolling his eyes, Draco placed a hand each on Albus and Scorpius's backs propelling them forward and into the front entry, herding Harry and his starfish Lily in the process.

"Let's discuss this inside, Potter. The muggles are starting to stare. Of course, you would live in a muggle neighborhood." Draco scoffed and closed the door behind him as if he owned the place.

Harry sputtered, in indignation or surprise he couldn't decide. "Malfoy, what are you-?"

"Coming inside, Potter. Honestly you are a terribly host, you know that?" Draco interrupted before he could even answer. "Why don't you introduce me to this beautiful young lady barnacled onto your side?"

Lily lifted her head from Harry's shoulder and gave him a small shy smile. "Hi." She said softly with a tiny sniffle.

"Well, hello there." He beamed at her. "Aren't you just lovely? A bit flushed and snuffly I'd say, but lovely nonetheless. Here honey, blow." He produced another handkerchief from out of nowhere and held it up to her nose gently. She gave a great little girl blow and he scrunched his own nose at her in amusement before pulling the cloth away and wiping up the rest of the snot from her upper lip.

"There. Much better, wouldn't you say? Now, my dear, what is your name?" He asked with a charming smile as he slipped the snotty handkerchief back into a pocket.

She blushed and giggled. "I'm Lily." She declared shyly.

"That is a lovely name. Named after such a pretty flower; fitting for such a pretty girl." Draco said smoothing a hand over her tear dampened hair and tucking it behind her ear. "My mother is named after a flower as well, you know."

"Really?" Lily asked, her eyes wide and riveted on him.

"Oh yes." He declared wisely. "Her name is Narcissa after the Narcissus flower."

"That's my Grandmama." Pipped in Scorpius from around the vicinity of Draco's hip.

Dropping a hand to his son's head, Draco smiled down at him. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

The little boy glanced from his dad to Albus's dad and Lily. "I'm Scorpius." He said giving her a smile and a wave.

Draco clapped his hands and beamed all around. "Wonderful, now that everyone is introduced, Albus why don't you show Scorpius your room?" He leaned toward Lily with his hands up and snagged her under the arms before Harry could even think to protest and lifted her away.

"You're even prettier when you're not glued to your dad." He chuckled at her charming blush and set her on the floor with her brother and Scorpius. "Now you three run up stairs and play while us adults have a chat, alright. Come and get us in the kitchen if you need anything." He instructed before ushering the children toward the stairs and grabbing Harry by the arm and dragging him down the hall toward the kitchen steps.

Harry had no time to protest or take exception to being ordered around in his own home, he could only blink and feel like Malfoy had rolled through his home like a freight train.

If Draco remembered correctly the kitchen should be down here... Ah! There it is. He pulled Potter down the steps and shoved him at the kitchen table. Turning toward the cooking area he stared incomprehensibly at the cabinets and stove before giving up and shouting for a Malfoy Manor house-elf.

"Tibby!"

"Yes, Master Draco?" A short terry clothed house-elf asked, her wide eyes staring up at Draco from the floor of the strange kitchen.

"Fix us some tea, then return to your regular duties." He waved her on and turned back to find Potter sitting at the table with his forehead planted on it and his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

"Potter?" He asked as he moved forward and pulled out another chair to sit in. "Are you alright, Potter?"

He got a snort and a halfhearted grumbled in answer before Harry dragged his head up and threw his arms over the wooden table top. "No, I'm not." He clarified.

Draco blew at the blond bangs that fell into his eyes and leaned back in his chair crossing his legs. "No, I don't suppose you would be."

Harry chuckled mirthlessly and covered his face with this hands not bothering to remove his elbows from the table. "God. What the fuck are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"Oh, you mean besides returning your missing son?" Draco asked sarcastically, pouring himself a cup of tea his house-elf had levitated over to the table.

"Fuck. Thank you." Potter sighed and let his hands fall away so he could looked Draco in the face. "I'm sorry. I should have said that before. Thank you, for bringing him back. How did you find him?"

"He just popped into my shop." Draco shrugged sipping at his sugared tea. "Scorpius discovered him crying by the front door and dragged him behind the counter yelling at me to fix the poor kid's skinned hands."

"Skinned hands?" Harry asked with a concerned frown. "What happened?"

Malfoy poured another cup of tea and pushed it toward him. "He bumped into someone and fell. Nothing a little Scrape Salve couldn't cure. Then I let Scorpius load him full of sugar and brought him home after I closed up for the day." He explained.

Harry nodded and didn't feel he had the energy to even question that Malfoy had a shop. "Well, thanks." He repeated softly pouring some milk into his tea. "I've been searching for him all afternoon. I don't know what I would have done if he'd-" His voice faltered and he just lifted the cup to his lips and sipped.

They sat in silence for a time before Draco set his tea down and turned to him with a serious look on his face. "Potter, I know it's not any of my business, but I like Albus, he's a good kid."

Harry smiled wanly in agreement. Albus was a good kid.

"Why was he running around Diagon Alley alone?" Draco finished with a concerned frown.

He sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat, his fingers twirling his tea cup idly. "He got upset with me at Fortescue's." Harry admitted. "Shouted at me in front of half the Alley then bolted. You know a boy his size just disappears in a crowd of people."

Draco nodded understandingly. He'd had some scares with Scorpius too. It was near impossible to find a child that didn't want to be found.

"I take it they haven't been taking Ginevra's absence well?" He inquired neutrally.

A mirthless, self deprecating laugh was forced from Harry's lungs before he could stop it. "God. You heard about that?"

"It was kind of hard not to." He shrugged. "It was on the front page of the _Prophet _earlier this week."

Potter groaned miserably and tilted his head back to stare at his kitchen ceiling blankly. "I hate the fucking _Prophet_."

"Yes, well." Draco snorted in a little amusement. "Don't we all."

Harry laughed again before lifting his head again and running a hand through his perpetually messy hair. "Yeah, you could say they're not taking it well. They're not taking me well, either."

"How do you mean?" He asked with a confused frown.

Did he really want to spill his guts to a man he hadn't spoken to in, maybe, ten years? An old school rival that up until ten minutes ago he couldn't have held a civil conversation with to save his life? Yes, apparently he did.

"I haven't been around all that much since I quit the Aurors and became an Ambassador." He admitted. "It takes me away for weeks at a time, sometimes months, and when I'm actually home..." He trailed off with a shrug. "I didn't realize things had gotten so bad here until I came home a week ago to find that the house abandoned, the kids had been staying at the Weasleys', and Ginny hadn't been heard from for three weeks."

A bark, an ugly unhappy sound, fell from his lips trying to imitate laughter. "I should be glad she dropped the kids off with her parents before she grabbed the first international portkey available and hightailed it with her lover."

Draco blew out a breath and tried to process this new information. He'd never liked the littlest Weasley, but he wouldn't have pegged her for the kind of woman that would do something like this. But then again, isn't this pretty much what his own wife had done?

"And the kids?" He asked.

Shaking himself, Potter turned his head and stared off toward the cooking area blankly. "James is... very unhelpful. He'd been taking the most responsibility for his siblings while his mother and I were gone, and I reckon he would be just as happy to go on doing that without any help from me. Albus is amazingly angry. From the few times he's actually spoken it was mainly to yell at me. He is fully aware that this is all my fault. And Lily..." he trailed off and looked back at Malfoy who was watching him with an unreadable look on his face. "Lily just keeps asking me these questions that I can't- that I have no idea how to answer."

They sat in silence for a time before Harry finally asked, "What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Realizing that his boyhood rival was having tea in his kitchen acting as his confessor. "Why do you care?"

Draco looked back at him searching for anger or any sign of incredulity. He found only curiosity and mild distrust. "I don't know, honestly." He answered truthfully enough. "All I know is that you've got the shit end of the stick and I found a teary little boy in my shop with bloody hands that my son has latched onto like a Devil's Snare."

Harry snorted at that, finding it quite amusing despite their earlier topic of discussion. "So your son, Scorpius, found my Albus."

"It would appear so." Draco nodded. "And plied the boy with homemade cookies and nonstop chatter. Albus is a good kid, Potter."

The compliment meant a lot to him surprisingly since it came from an ex-enemy. "Thanks. Scorpius seems like a good kid, as well."

"Oh, he is." Draco agreed not in the least bit humbly. "He's got Mother and Father wrapped around his little fingers."

Harry grinned at that amusing imagery. He couldn't see Lord Lucius Malfoy wrapped around anyone's finger, but he supposed if it was going to be possible it might as well be the old bastard's grandson that did the wrapping.

"Daddy?" Lily's little voice chimed from the kitchen doorway.

The two men turned to see the little girl standing nervously in the doorway.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Harry asked getting up from his seat to walk towards his daughter.

"I'm tired. Can you tuck me in?" She asked apprehensively.

A quick glance at the clock showed that it was indeed the kids' bedtime. "Sure, baby." He smiled at her and bent to lift her into his arms wrapping an arm underneath her bottom to keep her in place.

Draco smiled at the sight, remembering not too long ago when his son would beg him to be picked up and carried everywhere. "Well, Potter I guess that's my cue to get going. It's about Scorpius's bedtime as well." He stood up and straightened his robes.

"You don't have to leave, Malfoy." Harry said surprising himself that he actually meant it. In all the years they'd known each other they'd never had a kind word to say and this one day, this one disastrous ulcer inducing day, they have a civil conversation and their children bond.

Draco waved him off with a hand and strode toward the little auburn starfish attached to him once again. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lily." He smiled at her.

A shy blush stained her cheeks and she ducked her face mumbling, "You too, Mr. Malfoy."

Chuckling he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her fiery head stroking a hand over her hair again. "You are a charmer, darling. Be sure to keep your dad on his toes, alright?" He grinned at her, his eyes gaining an extra mischievous sparkle when Potter snorted at that.

The three of them strode out of the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs leading _up_.

"Scorpius!" Draco called hoping his voice would carry in the monstrous wizards space that was the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. "It's time to go, kid."

"Aw, but Dad!" A little voice protested from somewhere _above_.

"Nope! It's bedtime. Say goodnight to Albus and get your tushie down here." Draco shouted back with practice that made Harry raise an eyebrow. Who would have though that Malfoy would make such an -accomplished- father? Or would have ever deigned to utter the word tushie?

There was a thundering of little feet and Albus and Scorpius stampeded down the stairs nearly tumbling over each other.

"Say goodnight, love. It's time to leave." Draco instructed again.

Scorpius heaved a long suffering sigh and turned to his new friend. "Goodnight Albus. I had fun today."

Harry had the very surreal experience of watching his shy and often times withdrawn son blush with pleasure and grab the other little boy up in a tight hug.

"Me too." He agreed and released Scorpius to clasp his hands bashfully behind his back and scuff a shoe at the hard wood floor. "I hope we can play again sometime."

Draco raised an amused eyebrow at Harry who acknowledged the look with one of utter surprise. Taking the initiative, Draco carded a hand through his son's hair affectionately and began steering him toward the door.

"Scorpius can come play anytime, Albus. As long as your dad's okay with it. You know how to floo, don't you Potter?" He drawled at Harry mischievously. "I'm sure even you can figure out how to owl, as well." He added just for old time's sake and walked to the front entry with his son's hand in his.

Draco looked back at Potter's bright green eyes and grinned. "Don't be a stranger, Potter." He said before there was a sharp crack of apparation and both Malfoys were gone.

Harry stood with his two youngest children staring at their empty entryway feeling distinctly as if he'd been railroaded once again.

* * *

TBC...


	2. Chapter Two

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 6,090  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Two*****

Days later and James still wasn't speaking to him. Harry sighed tiredly and resisted the urge to bang his head against the kitchen table after another awkward silent breakfast.

Lily seemed to be on better terms with him at least. Since he had assured her numerous times that he had no intention of packing up and leaving like their mother had, Lily had began to warm up to him again.

Albus on the other hand was hot and cold. One moment he would seem to almost come around, then something would happen or Harry would say something and he'd fly off the handle and stomp away sullenly.

Things didn't seem to be getting better in the near future, despite all the help, wanted and unwanted he had pouring in from all different directions.

Ron and Hermione had been over several times with Rose and Hugo, but could only give him sympathetic glances and try not to mention Ginny.

He'd let the kids floo to the Burrow several times as well, hoping maybe a visit with their grandparents would help, but had been disappointed. Even their loony Aunt Luna had shown up in their backyard one evening and had the kids on a hunt for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.

Needless to say that didn't do much good either.

Harry was getting a distinct dark cloud of depression hanging over his head and he could practically see the ones hanging over his children. It broke his heart all over again.

Finally, one evening after a silent dinner of Molly's Shepard's pie and quiet morose children he became desperate enough to owl Malfoy in hopes that maybe a change of scenery would do everyone some good.

The next morning he had the kids dressed and ready to go before breakfast. He stepped into the floo with Lily on his hip and instructions for Albus and James to floo together right after him.

He threw a handful of floo powder down and yelled, "Malfoy Manor!" before he was whisked away in a flare of bright green flames.

Stumbling out of the fireplace and into an elegant welcoming parlour, Harry set Lily on her feet then turned just as the floo flared again to help James and Albus out of the grate.

"Good morning, Potter Family." A familiar voice drawled from the doorway. The whole family turned to find Draco and Scorpius watching their entry with an amused smirk and an excited smile on their faces.

"Albus!" Scorpius exclaimed unable to contain himself any longer and threw himself across the room landing in Albus' equally ecstatic arms for a tight hug.

Harry tore his eyes away from his son's unusual behavior and gave Malfoy a nod. "Good morning, Malfoy. I'm sorry for the short notice."

He got a dismissive wave for his troubles as Draco strode into the room. "It's nothing, Potter. Scorpius has been pouting for days now because he hasn't been able to see his Albus." He grinned down at his blushing son before turning back to Potter's incredulously raised eyebrow. "We're happy to have you."

Turning his attention on the oldest Potter child he stared down at him appraisingly, letting the boy do the same to him. "You, young man, must be the wizened big brother. Am I correct?" He questioned with a knowing smirk.

James scowled at him arrogantly for a moment then grudgingly raised his hand to be shaken. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy." He sneered.

"My, aren't you a bushel of daisies." Draco smirked in amusement. "It's nice to meet too, James Sirius Potter named for your grandfather, James Potter, and your father's godfather, Sirius Black. Two powerful, mischievous wizards. You must be as grown up as they were, seeing as you're nearly ten already." He drawled mockingly making the boy grow red at the ears and his scowl deepen.

Harry watched not sure whether he should take exception with the way Malfoy was speaking to his son, or be grateful he was calling James on his horrid behavior.

Draco stood staring down at the boy for moment longer, his little hand going unshaken until his arrogant scowl began to melt into the insecurity underneath it and his hand began to withdraw. Snatching the smaller hand out the air before it could retreat fully, Draco gave it one firm shake.

"I look forward to getting to know you, James Sirius." He said formally, blatantly asserting his dominance in his household over this child that could so easily take a mile when given an inch.

James blushed feeling thoroughly scolded and not even realizing when it had happened. He lowered his head and murmured, "Yes, sir," before taking his hand back and scooting closer to his father.

Watching the exchange, Harry could barely believe it himself. He could have been watching Lucius Malfoy at that very moment, Draco exuded so much cold aloofness, dominance, and confidence. He couldn't even be mad at Malfoy for taking his son's discipline upon himself. Harry wouldn't have been able to do that, and he knew it.

Suddenly, Draco's whole demeanor changed. He once again became the easy charming man he'd been in Harry's front entrance those nights ago.

Leaning down he grinning cheekily at a smiling Lily. "Well, Lily dear. It is a pleasure to see you again. You are looking extra lovely this morning."

She giggled at him and ducked her head pulling Harry's hand she'd been holding forward a bit to hide her reddening face. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco almost couldn't contain himself. Potter had the absolute cutest daughter on the face of the earth. He had to hand it to him, despite how much he'd wanted to punch his face in during school, Harry Potter made gorgeous kids.

"Lily, honey. Your face is just too pretty to hide." He declared slipping his hands underneath her arms and lifting her into the air and away from the relative safety of her father to set her on his hip, a modest arm tucked underneath her bottom to keep her flowery dress from riding up.

A surprised squeal pulled away from her, but she subsided and let Draco hold her, curling her small arms around his neck for balance. "Come with me, darling. How would our Lily-flower like to sit next our Narcissus for breakfast?" He asked with a charming smile on his face.

She nodded shyly and twirled a tiny finger in her auburn hair.

Harry watched in awe. How did Malfoy become such an expert at his children? Then again, he was an expert at his own child from what Harry'd seen. It just amazed him how Draco had all the Potter children eating out of his hands when Harry couldn't even get through a meal with them without feeling like the worst father ever.

"Well, come along, my ugly ducklings." Draco called from the door way, Lily still perched primly in his hip. "Breakfast is on the table and we wouldn't want it to get cold."

Scorpius and Albus rushed after him, but Harry and James hung back.

His oldest son kicked at the expensive Persian rug on the floor while Harry watched silently. Finally after moments of nothing, James lifted his head. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm... I'm sorry, about what I said, you know." He mumbled, face turning red, not being able to meet his father's eyes. "I know Mum leaving wasn't really your fault. And I know that you- that you do want us." He said sounding less than sure.

Sighing, Harry crouched down to a more comfortable level and looked up into his son's sullen face. "Do you, James? Because I understand that you would think otherwise. I haven't been the best dad for a while now and that is completely my fault, but I would never leave you or your brother and sister for any reason." He said praying that his son believed him, because it broke his heart to think that his kids would believe he'd be able to abandon them for any reason.

James finally lifted his eyes and stared into his dad's face. "It's just that Mum, you know. Every time you left for work she would just- it was like-..." He trailed off his throat tightening with the remembered feelings of responsibility and loneliness, tears coming to his sad hazel eyes. Boys weren't supposed to cry!

"Oh, James." Harry reached forward and pulled his son into his arms wrapping him up tightly when the boy clutched at his shirt and buried his face into his chest. "I'm sorry, James. You shouldn't have had to go through that. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry your mother left. I'm- I'm just sorry for everything." He finished at a complete loss while his stubborn, independent son was crying brokenly into his chest.

"I won't ever leave you like she did." He finally said burying his own face in the top of James's auburn hair. "I couldn't ever do that to you guys. I promise."

James's tears continued for a few moments before they subsided and he began to pull away. Harry let him, lifting a hand to wipe the remaining wetness away. "Do you believe me, James?" He asked feeling desperate for an answer. "I love you. You and your brother and sister. You're all three of you my life, alright?"

The little boy nodded feeling the conviction in his father's word through his anger and his hurt. "I love you too, Dad." He mumbled feeling slightly embarrassed by the display of emotion from them both.

Harry smiled at him feeling a great weight lifted from his chest. Standing he carded a hand through James's hair soothingly. "Shall we go eat breakfast, then?" He asked lightening the mood, much to his son's relief. "I'm starving."

They made their way into the Breakfast Room following a helpful house-elf that had been stationed at the floo parlour's entrance to guide them when they were ready. Stepping into the sunny room was somewhat surreal for Harry.

There was Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy with his youngest children eating breakfast as if they did this all the time. Lucius was listening, somewhat avidly, to a tale Scorpius was telling while Albus giggled along and Narcissa was chatting with an uncharacteristically talkative Lily. Draco was watching it all munching on what looked like chocolate-chip pancakes contentedly.

At their entrance Draco looked up from dabbing at the corner of his mouth with an expensive antique looking napkin. "Ah! Finally, I thought you boys had gotten lost." He grinned at them then gestured to the only two empty seats at the table. "Grab a seat and dig in." He instructed imperiously.

Harry thought dazedly that if this had been ten years ago he would have jumped at the chance to hex Malfoy for daring to order him around. Now, it seemed comfortable for this blond, smirking, drawling man to usher him and his kids around like ducklings in a pond.

Ron and Hermione would never believe this, he thought amusedly. Draco Malfoy was being nice and charming and funny to Potters of all sizes. Well, people change. Harry certainly had. Why couldn't Draco?

"Potter, let me reintroduce my parents." Draco said and nodded toward the head of the table where Lucius sat with Narcissa at his left.

Harry gave them both a wary, but formal nod of the head. "Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you for allowing my children and I to join you."

A warm smile creased at Narcissa Malfoy's perfect face. "It is quite our pleasure, Mr. Potter. You have charming children." She informed him elegantly. Lucius didn't say anything, just nodded. Harry hadn't been expecting that much.

"Thank you." He replied somewhat surprised at her compliment. "They're great kids. This is my oldest, James."

James blushed under Narcissa's blue eyed gaze and mumbled, "Good morning, ma'am."

The woman just chuckled delightedly. "You certainly are a handsome young man." She said seemingly more pleased when his blush kicked up a notch or two. "And so well mannered too."

The boy ducked his head, eyes darting to meet Draco's from across the table before moving back to Mrs. Malfoy. "Thank you."

"Well, start eating." Lucius broke in with a cool tone as he eyed the two new arrivals. "I believe Scorpius has volunteered to give us a tour of the Manor. There is much to see."

Almost as if compelled James and Harry both began to pile food on, feeling suddenly ravenous. Draco watching with amusement.

He'd been surprised when Potter had opened his door those nights ago with a little girl seemingly sucking the life out of him. The man had matured handsomely. His raven black hair still wild, his eyes still bright green and near to glowing, but he'd gotten rid of those monstrous glasses and put on much needed height and muscle. Then again, Draco had never seen an out-of-shape Auror and that had been Potter's job for eight years before his promotion.

The sight of him so different, but very much the same had brought back long ago buried feelings that Draco hadn't even remembered having. Along with the realization that he still found Harry Potter as attractive as ever, came his knowledge of just what had added those tired smudges under his eyes, that lost confusion in his eyes, and that pale unhappiness to his face.

His dislike for the Weaslette had skyrocketed in those few speechless seconds on Potter's front steps. Then he made a decision and practically shoved his way into the man's home. It had been a good idea, Draco knew that now. Potter needed a bit of pushing around and Draco, if he knew anything, it was how to ride herd on those around him. Of course he learned everything he knew from his father, consummate politician that he was.

Glancing around the table he saw that everyone was finished with their breakfast. Narcissa was wiping down Lily's syrupy hands with a moist cloth a house-elf had fetch for her and Scorpius and Albus had melted chocolate at the corners of their mouths.

Rolling his eyes as his father gave him meaningful look Draco grabbed a napkin and took hold of the nearest child's face to begin his clean up. His father had never deigned to wipe his face when he was a child he didn't know why he'd expected him to wipe anybody else's.

After cleaning up Albus, Draco caught his own son's chin in hand and scrubbed him down ignoring his yowls of protest with an amused smirk on his lips.

"Come along, ducklings." He called standing up from his place at the table and nudging the two little boys chairs out for them. "I believe a tour of the stables is the best place to start."

"Stables?"

He glanced over to see James staring at him with a tiny frown on his face. "Yes, James. There is a rather large stable on Malfoy property where we house our own horses." The boy's face suddenly lit up with reluctant interest, and Draco knew he had him.

Potter was being surprisingly easy going about letting his children hang around Draco's parents. The surprise on his face when he had first stepped into the breakfast room had been visible, but he quickly adapted and Draco was rather glad for it.

Despite all of their bad history, Draco knew his parents, his father especially, had mellowed. After his stint of trying to kill Potter off, Lucius had lost his taste the death of children. Of course having a much beloved grandson still a child helped to enforce his distaste quite a bit.

They wandered toward the stables, Draco in the lead keeping an eye on Scorpius and Albus as they rushed ahead examining little nooks and crannies and hedges and bushes. Narcissa was still enthralled in little Lily and strolled along at a comfortable pace for a five year old, the older woman pointing out various flora to an eager learner. James however had stayed rather close to his father at the back of the group; still rather withdrawn, but looking around curiously just the same as they trekked through the gardens and toward the stables.

"Draco, are you quite sure those children are Potter's? They seem much too agreeable to have been spawned from him." Lucius drawled sardonically from his place next to his son.

He snorted and glanced at his father from the corner of his eye. "Can't you tell, Father? Albus is Potter's spitting image and where would James and Lily acquire that hair if not from Lily Evans, their paternal grandmother? I do not remember little Ginevra ever having that particular shade of red back in Hogwarts."

"Yes, well, I suppose there is that." The older gentleman conceded with a wry smirk. "All three of them do have rather striking resemblances to the Potter line."

Draco hummed in agreement thinking about just how little they had gotten from their mother. "Except the freckles." He commented without thinking. "Potter never had any freckles."

Lucius studied his son with knowing eyes. "A tragedy that they should inherit anything from the woman at all."

"Not particularly." Draco shrugged. "I think they lend a certain -Scorpius! Watch those cursed roses!- charm to the children. Thankfully their freckles aren't nearly as pronounced as the rest of the Weasleys'."

"Quite." He agreed. "Tell me, Draco. What possessed you to seek an acquaintance with Potter after all these years? If I'm remembering correctly, neither of you got on during school regardless of political disagreements." Lucius asked with a suspiciously neutral voice.

A scowl wrinkled at Draco's brow and he glared at his father out of the corner of his eye. "You read what the Weaslette did to him and his children."

Lucius snorted rather ungentlemanly. "Yes, I read what she did. Threw away three children and perhaps the most powerful wizard, magically and politically, in a couple of centuries for a gigolo and a beach side hut on some God forsaken island. That girl never did use an ounce of the sense God gave her." He sneered quietly keeping his voice level and low so they were not overheard.

"Well, I figured Potter could use a little help." Draco replied nonchalantly ignoring his father's rather vehemently disgusted comments. "I do know some of what he's going through." He added softly.

Lucius felt that old guilt well up in him. "If I had known Astoria was going to-"

"It's alright, Father." Draco interrupted sharply with a dismissive wave of the hand. "She came from a good family, good blood, and we got on well. You couldn't have known, just like I couldn't have known. We survived, me and Scorpius. Everything worked out fine." He quickened his pace, striding away from his unappeased father and toward the stables now in view.

"Here we are!" He called plastering a smile on his face as three of the four children turned their whole and undivided attention toward him. "This is the Malfoy stables, ducklings. Let's go meet the horses, shall we?"

Scorpius, Albus, and Lily rushed after him as he strode in through the open air door and called to a stable manager. Narcissa stepped up to walk with Lucius, while Harry and James came up slowly.

Ever since breakfast, James had been plastered to his side and Harry had been puzzled as to the reason for it. The boy went from shunning him to his own personal barnacle. Not that he minded. He somewhat missed the days when James had been his starfish before Albus and Lily were born and he'd gotten the ambassadorial job, but James had always been so independent. It was disconcerting to see him do a one-eighty in the time span of a couple of hours.

They entered the stables to see the stable manager and Draco telling the other children about the horses and their care. The manager had pulled a mild mannered mare out of her stall and was letting Albus and Lily tentatively pet her while Scorpius was off on another story about something or other pertaining to that particular horse.

"James, why don't you go up and pet her?" Harry asked when his son had still hung back.

The boy just shook his head a little and shifted so he was pressed closer to Harry's side. He sighed. It seemed that when Draco stripped him of his right to be an arrogant, obnoxious, pain in the ass, he'd released all of James's well hidden insecurity and fear.

God. Ginny had really done a number on his kids and he had been too stupid to even see it.

"Perhaps young Mr. Potter would like to be introduced to Lightning." A drawling voice drew the two Potters' attention. Lucius stood with his snake head cane in one hand, his other neatly behind his lower back.

"Lightning?" Harry raised an incredulous eyebrow, his own lightning bolt scar twitched at the movement.

Lucius just smirked wryly. "Yes. He was a gift for Draco before he started Hogwarts. I believe he changed the beast's name from Ginger Snap to Lightning."

"Oh." Harry had to work to keep his lips from curling in amusement. "Would you like to see him, James?" He asked the strangely shy boy staring up at Mr. Malfoy from nearly behind him.

Peeking out from behind his father, James stared at the oldest Malfoy for moment before he nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."

"Splendid." He drawled blandly. "Right this way, young Mr. Potter." An absent gesture with his cane led them to the other side of the stables.

Harry placed a comforting hand on James's shoulder and propelled him forward, following close behind. The three of them walked to one of the last stalls and Harry lifted James up and set him on the gate so he could see into the stall.

Inside was a large muscled horse. His coat was a warm brown that shined with perfect grooming, but the most interesting part of the horse was the jagged stripe of white that ran from the top of the creature's head down his neck and over his left front leg, staining a stark white stripe through his mane on the way. It was shocking really, but upon closer inspection a multitude of tiny white bolts could be found peppering the horse's coat making him look very much like he'd been struck by lightning.

"Wow." Harry breathed, unconsciously echoing his son. "He's beautiful."

"Hm, yes. I thought so." Lucius nodded studying the horse with a bland eye as if he were reading business documents instead of looking at the strangest colored horse ever seen. "Narcissa had a fit when I brought him home. Claimed he was too unruly or some such nonsense. Draco was delighted of course."

Harry snorted, he could see an eleven year-old Draco bouncing up and down with the excitement of a horse for a present.

"Of course, I nearly had to put the beast down." Lucius continued casually, like they were talking of the weather.

"Why?" Gasped James, sounding completely horrified as he stared at the older man with wide eyes, some of his old fiery spirit peaking through.

"He threw Draco three times." Lucius answered seemingly unconcerned with James's outraged yelp. "The beast was a danger to my son."

"Yes dear, and when Draco had an appalling fit of hysterics and insisted on protesting that decision by spending the night in the horse's stall, you decided to let the poor thing live." Narcissa supplied as she stepped up to them with an endearing smile on her perfectly painted mouth. "He is a beautiful animal, though."

Her husband huffed and tapped his cane on the stall gate in irritation. "Yes, quite lovely and quite unpredictable."

"Oh, tosh." Narcissa chuckled. "He's very lovely now. At least as long as Draco is the only one riding him." She added with a smirk.

James returned her smirk with a small smile and turned back to look at the horse who seemed completely comfortable with being stared at.

"Would you like to pet him, James dear?" Narcissa offered kindly.

Harry took one look at his son's hopeful look and tried to fight down the panic. "I don't know, Mrs. Malfoy. Didn't you say he was dangerous?"

"Oh, only if you're trying to ride him." She waved at him dismissively. "He's really quite sweet if you just want to pet him." Leaning over the gate in her elegant robes, she made some kissing noises with her perfect lips to get the horse's attention.

Lightning's head rose from his feeding sack and he turned to look at his observers with great intelligent brown eyes.

"Whoa." Harry breathed. It seemed to him that the horse was actually measuring them up.

The huge animal apparently found them satisfactory and slowly ambled toward them nudging at Narcissa's outstretched hand first, but his eyes never left James. That in and of itself made Harry distinctly nervous.

"He is a magical animal, Mr. Potter." Lucius drawled informatively from next to him as they watched Narcissa instruct James on how the horse liked to be petted. "Uncanny intelligence, greater lifespan, and often times annoying personality quirks are all par for the course with magical animals."

"So, the difference between Lightning and the other horses is like the difference between a mail owl and a regular owl." Harry surmised rather simply his eyes never leaving his son and the monster of a horse.

"You could say that." Another aristocratic voice said from over his other shoulder. Turning Harry found Draco watching the scene in front of them with smiling eyes. "It would seem that Lightning has found another favorite human to amuse himself with."

"He likes James? You can tell?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes. He never looks at anyone else, but me like that. It would appear our James Sirius has found himself a friend." Draco grinned at him and strode forward to lavish his own attention on the horse.

Harry glanced back toward where the other children had once been to find all three of them enthralled by the stable manager's spur of the moment equine lesson. The man was crouched down with one of the mare's front legs lifting into his lap and he seemed to be showing them her hoof. Scorpius, Albus, and Lily were listening avidly.

"You do realize, Mr. Potter, that my son had seen fit to adopt you and your children." Lucius said bringing Harry's attention back around.

"What?" He frowned in confusion.

"Draco and Scorpius's mother did not separate amicably. I believe that despite your past animosity he sees a kindred spirit in you." He clarified blandly. "Of course it helps that he is quite taken with your children. He and Scorpius, both, were quite impressed when they came home the other night." Lucius finished with a wry smirk.

Harry felt a rush of surprise and puzzlement tempered by a little spike of pleasure. He was starting to find Draco Malfoy to be an interesting, dynamic man, a good father, and a little bit of a flirt. None of these things he was able to see during school, but he felt somewhat privileged to see them now. Perhaps the timing could have been better, but better late than never, eh?

Of course that didn't even touch the surreality of him standing there having a civil conversation with Lucius Malfoy. The man had actively tried to kill him numerous times in his youth, but here they were. He was letting him near his children and in turn Lucius was suffering his presence in his home.

"Why are you telling me this?" Harry asked the other man after a time.

Lucius just turned to study him intently, thinking over his words before he answered. "I will warn you, Mr. Potter, that what my son claims, what he takes under his protection, he keeps." And with those cryptic words the older man strode off to speak to the stable manager leaving Harry reeling and perhaps even more confused.

They spent an hour more in the stables petting eager horses and feeding the children's curiosity. Then they moved to a lake sized pond where Narcissa called a house-elf to supply them with old bread to throw to the ducks.

Harry was happy to see that James had come out of his impromptu shell and was giggling and laughing along with the others while the ducks waddled and splashed them close to the shore.

Lucius had strolled off on his own, snake-head cane swinging idly, his gray eyes watching the children carefully ready to pull his wand should one of the geese take exception to their rambunctiousness. Harry had to shake his head at the sight.

"I'm glad you brought your kids this morning." Draco murmured next to him from their place a ways up the hill watching the playing below.

Turning to regard the other father, Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. "I am too. This has been really good for them. I can't tell you how bad it was getting with them just sitting around the house." He chuckled rather mirthlessly.

"I can imagine." Draco nodded solemnly. "I could tell they are taking Ginevra's absence hard."

"Yeah." He agreed staring down at the grass, toeing at it with his boot. "I don't think I'll ever forgive her for what she did. I know I'm not a saint in all of this by any means, but I couldn't ever imagine deserting my kids like that."

"Astoria, my ex-wife," Draco began after a moment, "didn't exactly abandon Scorpius. She just refused to have anything to do with him."

Harry's head snapped up, his face a picture in disbelief.

"Yes." He answered the unspoken question, gray eyes following his son up and down the shore as if mesmerized. "She had done her duty as my wife and fully expected to be kept in the 'lifestyle to which she had become accustomed' without ever having to come in contact with him passed birthdays and Christmas after giving birth."

"That's-..." Harry didn't know what that was. It was shallow, cruel, unfeeling.

"It was my fault really." Draco continued when it became apparent that Harry wasn't going to be able to finish his sentence. "I didn't make it absolutely clear to her what was expected of her as my wife before she signed the marriage contract. Father had worked out a deal with her family, and we had all assumed it went without saying that I expected a mother for my son not just a brood mare." He snorted scathingly. "My fault."

They stood in silence for a time. Harry thinking about what Draco had divulged. Even Ginny had loved their kids at one point in the not very distant past. Maybe still loved them despite her abandonment, but Astoria sounded... like she hadn't cared for anything passed her baubles and finery.

"She didn't even want to be around Scorpius at all?" He stated more than asked rather untactfully, but Draco didn't seem to mind.

"No, it became apparent that she didn't." He agreed flatly. "The entirety of his care fell to me and what little Mother and Father helped with. Around Scorpius' second birthday I changed the wards, locked down the vaults, and filed for divorce."

Harry marveled at how level his voice was when he said this. It was old news to Draco, he guessed. Harry, himself, couldn't be that uncaring about it even though he had done the exact same thing.

"Scorpius doesn't really remember her." Draco sighed crossing his arms over his chest suddenly uncomfortable. The sound of the children's laughter floated up to them on the wind. "I have complete custody and neither of us has ever really looked back." He shrugged and tucked an errant strand of silver blond hair behind his ear.

"So you see, Potter. You're really not alone. There is life on the other side." He grinned at the stunned man next to him before laughing lightly shedding the maudlin atmosphere like an offending coat and striding down the hill to join in the children's games.

Harry was left staring after him feeling stunned and somewhat bereft of his presence. Draco had known exactly what to say to him to reassure his wordless fears. He hadn't even know he'd been afraid that they would never pull through this. Now, just a few comforting words from an old school rival had made a huge hole in that doubt and fear that had been lurking in his chest.

He'd loved Ginny when he'd married her, when she'd given birth to their children, but that had faded without him even realizing it. Her betrayal, he felt keenly, but not for himself -for his children. Forgiving her for cheating on him when he had been faithful, for leaving him for another man was easy. Forgiving her for abandoning his children, for bringing her lover into his home, into contact with his children, for forcing his children to shoulder responsibilities before their time, he will never be able to.

They weren't even partly her children to him any more. She had given birth to them, but they were his now. Wholly and irreversibly his. The right to them had been lost to her the moment she ceased to take their welfare into consideration.

"It was good seeing you today, Potter." Draco said with a small smile while he walked the exhausted, but happy Potter family toward the floo that evening after they had all shared a light dinner.

"Yeah, you too. Thanks again for letting us come." Harry returned with a smile of his own over Lily's shoulder. She'd starfished herself to him again and had summarily fallen asleep nearly before he had her settled on his hip.

"It was our pleasure." He waved it off. "I think Mother and Father enjoyed it almost as much as the children did."

Harry chuckled with him and looked around to make sure he had all of his kids where they should be. Albus was being chattered at by Scorpius and James was giggling along with them. All three boys were standing in the middle of the room.

"Time to go, James, Albus." Harry called then was bombarded with a volley of protests from Malfoys and Potters alike. He just grinned happily for the first time in a long time. "That's enough boys. Say thank you to Scorpius and Mr. Malfoy then we have to floo home, come on."

"You can call me, Draco, now." The man said with an amused smirk. "It gets confusing with my Father around as well."

"Thank you, Draco." Albus blushed then impulsively rushed forward and wrapped Draco's legs up in a quick hug before he darted away again, head ducked and face flaming red. Scorpius couldn't have looked prouder.

Draco just laughed and smiled kindly at the shy boy. "You're very welcome, Albus Severus."

James stepped forward and scuffed his shoe at the rug for a few moments before he peaked up at Draco from under his auburn bangs and stuck his hand out shyly. "Thank you, Mr.- Draco." He corrected, face hopeful and apprehensive.

"You're welcome, James." Draco grasped his small hand in his larger one and shook it firmly. "You must come again and visit Lightning. He took quite the liking to you." He told the little boy with a reassuring smile watching him smile back and release his hand to go stand with his father.

Turning back to Harry, Draco chuckled and moved up to stroke a hand through Lily's wind blown, tangled hair. "She must have been exhausted." He commented showing a familiarity with tired children. "But that just means she had fun."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, we all had fun today." He agreed shifting his hold on his sleeping daughter, his two sons nodded their heads in agreement.

Grinning at that, Draco leaned forward and placed a kiss on Lily's forehead. The scent of sunshine and herbal shampoo floated up to Harry's nose at the action and he had to shake his head to clear it.

"Come back, again." Draco invited with an absent hand stroking through Scorpius' messy hair. "We enjoyed your visit."

Harry felt a smile quirk at his lips as he nodded and ushered his boys toward the floo. "We'll do that, Draco. Good night."

"Good night, Harry."

The image of Draco smiling at him and waving through green flames would stay with him until he fell into bed later that night.

* * *

TBC...


	3. Chapter Three

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 7,004  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Three*****

Ron chuckled as Hugo and Albus darted from one side of the yard to the other screaming at the top of their lungs while James chased them. Sipping his scotch, he reclined comfortably and peaked a glance at Harry next to him.

It had been a while since he'd seen Harry looking so good. He wasn't perfect, or great really, but he looked like he was heading that way. The gauntness that had seemed permanently etched into his face since Ginny went M.I.A. was fading and those deep exhausted bruises under his eyes were lightening day by day. Of course the kids seemed nearly back to normal. Apparently their mother's absence wasn't all that hard to recover from.

He felt a pang in his chest at that thought. Ginny was his little sister and he would always love her, but for leaving Harry and the kids he could never forgive her. Not that she seemed to be seeking forgiveness.

A week after Harry had cut her off from the Potter and Black money, she'd fire-called him in fury. When receiving nothing resembling sympathy or help she cut the connection. After it had been announced that the divorce papers should be appearing before her any minute now, Ron had prepared himself for another vicious call, but none came. The papers had appeared on Harry's kitchen table an hour later signed, sealed, and bearing a few granules of beach sand.

Hermione had snatched them out from under Harry's fingers and looked through every single sheet. Ginny hadn't missed a single initial, even the custodial papers making Harry the children's one and only parent by law and Ron and Hermione their godparents in his stead had been signed to the fullest.

He had come to a realization right then and there that his little sister had gone completely around the bend. Ron would tear out his own heart before he gave up the right to see Hugo and Rose, but obviously Ginny had no compunction about completely forgetting James, Albus, and Lily. It made him burn with anger and simmer with shame for his sister all at once.

"Lily! Don't you dare try and get into that shed!" Harry suddenly shouted next him jolting him from his recollections.

He looked up to see Lily and Rose slump in disappointment and slink away from the old ratty shed at the back of the property.

"Got something to hide, Harry?" Ron grinned at him feeling rather happy with the scotch sloshing in his belly.

Harry snorted at him. "If by something you mean troll legs, Mrs. Black's portrait, and a volley of house-elf heads, then yes, Ronald, I do."

That made him nearly spit his scotch out of his nose. "You fucking kept all that crap?" He coughed trying to clear his nasal passages.

He got an eyebrow raise in answer. "Well, I could get them off the walls easily enough, but taking them off the property became a problem."

Ron frowned at him. "How did you get them off the walls?" He got the look that said he really didn't want to know. "Right, okay, don't answer that."

Harry chuckled. "Good man."

They sat in silence for a few more moments watching their children stalk one lone garden gnome through the tall grass near the fountain in the far corner.

Ron peaked at his best friend again. "So, Harry..."

Harry seemed to slump in his seat and sighed. "I'm alright, Ron." He assured preemptively. "It's getting better, you know." He shrugged.

"Really?" He asked genuinely concerned. He could see the "getting better", but Harry's looks could be scarily deceptive.

A huff of breath escaped Harry's lips before he took a rather large gulp of his own scotch. "Yeah, Ron. It's really getting better. I didn't realize it before, but Ginny had become somewhat of a nonentity long before she ran off with that lover of hers."

Ron just tilted his head to the side, a silent urge to continue. He'd gotten better at this feelings thing since school.

Shrugging, Harry sighed. "Apparently the only time she'd spent any real length of time at home had been when I was there off of assignment. Other than that the kids were at yours or your mums. And I-... I kinda stopped loving her while ago, Ron. I'm sorry."

A gush of air exploded from his lungs. It didn't really surprise him, it just... it was just a little jolting to hear it out loud. "Nah, mate, it's alright. I kinda figured as much, but it's just a little jarring to hear it."

Harry laughed mirthlessly and ran a shaking hand through his hair. "I know, Ron. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He repeated unnecessarily. "I haven't loved her, really loved her for years." He leaned forward and propped his elbows up in his knees looking a little hysterical. "We hadn't had sex since Lily was born, for fuck's sake! I just- I just-"

"Hey mate, calm down." Ron leaned over and squeezed his shoulder almost painfully trying to ground him in the present, in the cool evening, in the yard, in the here. "It's alright, Harry. Just take your time. Breathe a little. Hermione always breathes when she gets crazy, says it's centering or some shit. Do some of that, alright."

He achieved his goal with that little comment and Harry laughed. It was brittle, but it wasn't hysterical which was what Ron was aiming for.

Harry leaned back in his seat and took a few beep breaths through his stray chuckles until he couldn't feel his magic crackling inside him anymore. It took a few minutes.

"I just wish I hadn't been so bloody blind." He finished in a much more subdued tone. "If I hadn't been so bloody wrapped up in my job, she wouldn't have been able to get away with abandoning our children. I would have kicked her ass out first." He flashed Ron an apologetic look. "Sorry."

Ron just shook his head and patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright, mate. If I had known she'd been bringing that Italian bastard into your house I would have helped you throw her out."

"I could live with him having been in the house, Ron." Harry admitted seriously. "Its knowing that my kids have ever laid eyes on him that makes my blood burn."

"Enough of this." A stern, loved familiar voice said from above their heads. "No more of that talk." Hermione scolded with a scowl. "It's time for dinner and I don't want indigestion."

The kids were called in and forced to wash their hands like the good little children they weren't, then they all sat down in the dinning room for dinner.

It was pleasant, Harry noted with a small smile as he twirled a forkful of spaghetti. Hermione had cooked Molly's recipe and the kids were busy making tomato sauced messes of themselves laughing insanely all the while.

Harry wondered if Albus knew he had a string of spaghetti in his hair. He sure wasn't going to tell him if he didn't.

"Oh! Rosie!" Hermione exclaimed when her daughter slurped up a noodle so loudly that it echoed in the chandelier, and so messily that it whipped sauce all the way from one ear to the other. Harry lost the battle then and burst out laughing.

Ron wasn't so brave and contended himself to covert chuckles hidden behind his napkin. He had to sleep with Hermione after all.

It had been one of the best nights Harry'd had in a long time. He wondered what Draco would have done had Scorpius been the one making an utter mess of himself. Probably encouraged him.

A sudden weighty feeling hit him in the chest and he sighed. He'd been thinking about Draco-Malfoy a lot lately. Ever since their visit for breakfast that subsequently turned into the whole day.

Harry had realized two things that day: that there was life after Ginny's abandonment of the children (he didn't feel abandoned, not one jot), and that Draco Malfoy was a vastly different person than he had been in school. The first left him feeling absolutely relieved, and the second left him feeling disturbingly curious.

He always did have a horrid sense of curiosity.

After Ron and Hermione had flooed home carrying two exhausted and red stained children, Harry spent the rest of the evening scrubbing his own little heathens clean and putting them to bed.

Sitting up in bed in the fifth floor master bedroom Harry stared up at the vaulted ceiling and pondered Draco Malfoy and his strange effect on himself and his children. He seemed almost... good for them.

After they had visited the Manor, which in itself had undergone some major redecorating, it seemed the their burden had been lightened. The children no longer had black clouds of depression following them wherever they tread and Harry's own cloud had diminished quite notably.

The guilt and feelings of uselessness, of hopelessness had not disappeared all together and Harry feared they never would, but Draco had a way of making everything seem like it was going to be alright. Which was ironic considering just how much time he spent making Harry's life pure hell back in school.

And Scorpius was good for the kids as well. He was a sweet kid, happy kid. He wasn't spoiled, at least not rottenly, not in the way Draco himself had been upon attending Hogwarts. Scorpius seemed like a smiley, happy, cheerful, energetic, loving kid. He was what Harry's children should be without their disproportionate burdens and fears of abandonment.

Harry wouldn't fool himself into thinking that they had gotten over that fear. They may believe that he loved them and that he wouldn't abandon them, but deep down they still feared it. He saw it every time he popped through the floo to grab some groceries or out to the yard to do some work... or asked them if they wanted to visit the Burrow.

_Every time_ that look came to their faces and finally Harry had taken to dragging them to the market with him, or shoving them out of the kitchen door and into the garden to play. The Burrow was still a sore spot for them, but they'd become quite adapt at fitting into the floo all together.

It couldn't continue on like this, he knew. They needed to be children and it seemed that for that one day, at the Manor with Draco, and Scorpius, and Narcissa, and _Lucius _even, they had been just that. They'd been simply children.

With his mind made up, Harry jumped out of bed and walked quietly out of his room and up the stairs to the owlery were his owl, Artemis, was perched with a wing over his head.

* * *

"Where are Lucius and Narcissa?" Harry asked as he sipped his cool minty alcoholic beverage and leaned back in his hands in the shade. The kids were once again tormenting the ducks and geese down by the pond while he and Draco sat on the grass in the shade of an ancient tree off to one side watching lazily.

"Hm? Oh. Mother and Father decided to take the day off." Draco grinned at him then sipped through his bright pink twisty straw with an audible slurp.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "The day off?"

"Mm. Apparently retirement is quite the job." He smirked sounding highly amused himself and snapped his fingers for a house-elf to replenish his drink.

"Lucius retired?" Harry asked incredulously, waving off the house-elf's offer for a refill. Those drinks were strong!

Draco just grinned at him. "You could say that."

"You know what, don't tell me." Harry chuckled feeling far more amused than he should be right now. "I don't want to know what constitutes 'retirement' for Lucius Malfoy."

"Oh tosh." He huffed at him sounding very amused indeed. "Father has declared himself too old for such young follies like the gang mentality and blood prejudice."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning," Draco smirked so very much like the smug Slytherin he used to be. "Meaning he's decided it's much more monetarily profitable, not to mention politically beneficial, to be seen as having 'renounced his old ways' and begin investing in a number of promising businesses that had once been found 'unacceptable'."

Now _that_, Harry reflected sardonically, sounded exactly like something Lucius Malfoy would do. The old bastard had always been more of an opportunistic politician than a raving fanatical any day.

"So, what you're saying, is that Lucius has been seeking new and improved ways of earning more money." Harry clarified sounding suddenly slurred. Damn, two of those minty drink things were really one too many.

Draco giggled and summoned a house-elf to order some cheese, crackers, and fruit to take the edge off of Harry's buzz. "Precisely. Malfoys aren't anything if not opportunistic."

"Hm." Harry snorted and popped a gape in his mouth. "Do I even want to wonder about how much money you have?"

"No, probably not." Draco answered with a smile and snagged a ripe red strawberry, before shouting, "Scorpius! What have I told you about trying to pluck the peacocks!"

Snorting with laughter and feeling really rather good, Harry didn't even try to stop himself when he said, quite casually, "You know, I'm one third owner of Weasley Wizard Wheezes."

Draco stopped straining his neck to make sure the kids left the poor white peacocks alone to stare at Harry with an open mouth. "You are fucking with me."

"Nope." Harry shook his head grinning, somewhat stupidly he was sure. "I gave Fred and George the money to start the business. As repayment, I guess, they made me part owner."

"How in God's name did you get the money to finance something like Weasley Wizard Wheezes?" Draco demanded quite seriously. It seemed Harry's light comment had stripped Draco of his buzz.

Harry sat up from his lounging position and toyed with the leaves from a strawberry suddenly feeling self conscious. "I haven't told anyone this. The twins know -knew- whatever, but not even Ron and Hermione know." He took a deep breath realizing that he'd told Draco Malfoy something that not even his two best friend's know about him.

Sitting up with him, Draco flicked his bright pink straw back and forth idly. "Sorry I snapped, Harry. I was just surprised. I mean, they started that back before fifth year, where on earth did you get the money?"

"The Triwizard winnings." Was his simple answer.

There was silence before Draco simply murmured, "Oh."

"After the Tournament I tried to give the money to Cedric's parents. They didn't want it. I didn't want it or need it. My parents had left me more money than I could ever hope to use already." He shrugged and grinned somewhat sadly at Draco who seemed to be listening solemnly next to him.

"I really didn't want that money and as we were getting off of the train I remembered Fred and George and tossed them the whole bag. Told them they could use it to start their business as long as they bought Ron some new dress robes first."

Draco was surprised into a laugh that seemed to clear away the lingering ache that went along with the memories of the Tournament. Harry closed his eyes and let himself float on the sound for a moment before opening them again and looking back at Draco.

"So, you get a third of the profits,then." Draco surmised with a lingering of amusement in the upward curve of his lips.

He just shrugged. "I guess. I haven't really checked. They opened a separate vault in my name and have been dumping my share in there since the store opened. George asked me if I wanted to buy out half of Fred's share so we could split the profits fifty-fifty, but I didn't want to." He sighed and ran through his hair. "George should have it, you know."

He watched his messy headed companion for a moment then smiled sadly and nodded, reaching over and rubbing a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "I get it."

They sat in silence for a time before Draco decided he had better dispel the heavy atmosphere. Moving his hand form Harry's shoulder up to ruffle at his surprisingly thick soft hair, Draco grinned. "So, Mr. Potter, you are a successful business investor, then."

"I wouldn't call myself an investor." Harry laughed and batted at Draco's hand. "It's just the Wheezes I got a share in."

"You know," Draco drawled in that tone of voice the always meant a little bit of trouble, "Father is really good with money. You should let him invest some of yours. He'd make you twice as rich three times as fast."

"Three times as fast as what?"

He shrugged. "There's only one thing Father loves more than pure-blood tradition and that's money. You give him some of your money and he'll twist it and stretch it 'til the goblins'll be crying mercy and digging out new vaults."

Harry just snorted and munched on a slice of cheese. Give Lucius Malfoy his money so that he becomes his financial adviser? Well, it was a thought. The Malfoy's certainly were rich enough.

"I always thought all of your money was inherited."

"Most of _my _money is." Draco conceded with a smug grin. "I get a hefty galleon from my shop in Diagon, and other bits and bobs I get up to." Harry didn't bother asking what bits and bobs exactly entailed. He figured it was best just not to know. "The Malfoy fortune has always been extremely large, and I'm not really bragging, but when my father inherited the Lordship from his father it wasn't really all that impressive. The fortune was about a sixth of what it is now."

Harry's eyes almost bugged out of his head, but Draco just kept going seeming not to notice his stunned silence.

"We could live off the interest naturally so what Father earned from sitting on the Board of Governors and his seat at the Ministry," what that was, Harry was unsure of and didn't want to ask, "went into business and property investments. Before the only Malfoy properties was this Manor and a moderately sized villa in the south of France. Now the properties include the building my shop is located in, several wizards housing complexes in the Wizards Quarter of London, a town house in London, an estate in Ireland somewhere and several others around Europe, and, I think, one in Brazil, but don't quote me on that." Draco pointed his finger at him.

Harry found it almost hard to breathe. "That's a bit excessive, don't you think?"

"No." Draco shrugged. "It's better to keep reinvesting the money and earning more than to let it sit and acquire dust in a vault miles under the ground."

Harry hummed. That was true. It also made him mildly guilty that he hadn't even touched much of his fortune from either the Potter side or the Black side.

The sound of laughter drifted over on the wind and Harry looked toward the pond where Lily was petting a large white swan that seemed to be suffering her cooing rather tolerantly. James and Albus were splashing around in the shallows while Scorpius seemed to be stalking that one unfortunate peacock that didn't seem to know it was in danger. He couldn't help himself he grinned.

Shooting a speculative glance toward Draco, Harry found him to have a soft smile on his face as he too watched the children get covered in dirt and have the time of their lives.

"What sort of investing does your father do now?" He asked neutrally.

"Hm? Oh, well, it's all aboveboard now. Back before the Dark Lord returned he would dabble in some not so savory deals here and there, but now for posterity sake everything he does is legal." He shrugged a little and glanced down at his hands still fiddling with his straw. "It wouldn't take much to get him thrown in Azkaban again, so I think he's trying to keep it clean."

Harry nodded. It made sense at least. He remembered the way Lucius had begged Voldemort in the Shrieking Shack to let him go to the castle so he could find his son. He'd seen that Azkaban had marked him then, and he was sure it still haunted the man to some extent now.

"How does he invest?" He asked again. Draco had answered part of his earlier question, but not all.

"Oh, you know." He frowned and waved a hand around distractedly. "Sound business ventures, financing promising entrepreneurs, real-estate, some donating thrown in there to make him look good -James! Watch that goose!-, I believe he's even looking into a man that wants to make a business out of converting muggle appliances and technology to work in a magical environment."

"Really?" That was a surprise.

Draco just shot him a little grin. "Opportunistic." Was his only answer.

Later that night while he laid a thoroughly exhausted Lily down in her bed and turned her night light on, Harry thought about his conversation with Draco.

Money was no problem for him or his family, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he should leave more of a legacy behind for his children and his grandchildren. He hadn't even touched most of his money and when he died he wanted to be able to leave his children more than just an empty lot in Godric's Hollow, number 12 Grimmauld, and their memories of him.

He'd always hated greed and snobbery and people who had more money then they could ever think to use, but now that he was older and he could see passed the snobbery that went with the upper echelon of any society. He could also see the benefit and appeal of having those types of assets.

Lucius Malfoy, for instance, wasn't just going to leave Draco and Scorpius with more gold than Midas, he was leaving them with real-estate, shares in profitable businesses, the means to maintain their coffers with rental property and royalties and God knows what else.

With that they could start their own business -which Draco seems to have already done-, get as much of an education as they could ever want, build their own library, travel around the globe, pay for any unforeseen complications or whims or tragedies that might crop up. It was a very tempting prospect.

Money wasn't a bad thing, it was how you used it. If the Weasleys had had more money their lives would have been a hundred times less stressful, but not any happier, the Weasley's didn't need money to be happy.

Harry smiled at that as he peaked into James' room and saw his oldest son spread-eagle on his bed, mouth open and hair everywhere. He slipped the door closed quietly and sneaked a peak into Albus' room. The little boy was curled up so far under his blankets that all Harry could see from the door was a little sun tanned nose and tuft of black hair.

Nope, money didn't make you happy, but it sure as hell helped.

* * *

"Ah, Mr. Potter. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Lucius Malfoy smiled slyly from behind his dark massive desk.

His study was all dark woods and built-in bookshelves filled with volumes upon volumes of legal and business oriented texts -and probably a few not so legal ones as well, but Harry wasn't looking that close. One wall of the room was filled with bay windows that gave a rather spectacular view of the pond (lake) and the lush gardens leading to it. Harry could just see a few white peacocks pecking around in the grass.

"I do believe that I sent you an owl requesting an appointment with you, Mr. Malfoy. This really isn't much of a surprise." Harry responded blandly as he took a seat in dark green velvet wing-backed chair arranged across from Lucius' desk.

"Ah yes. So, you did." The older man smirked rather amused and leaned back in his deep brown leather chair his fingers pressed together in front of him. "Then may I inquire as to the business of the appointment, then? I do not believe you are an Auror any longer and I have nothing to hide in that respect."

Harry just barely kept himself from snorting. He would bet his left arm that Lucius hadn't completely seen the error of his ways. There was no way the man would give up everything Dark and sordid. And if he did he wouldn't be Lucius Malfoy.

As it was, snort averted, Harry couldn't help, but raise an incredulous eyebrow. That only made Lucius smirk grow even wider. "Yes, well, one does not just toss out family heirlooms, do they?"

An image of Mrs. Black's portrait and the house-elf heads came to mind, and Harry couldn't help, but think just now accurate that statement was.

"No, I suppose not." He conceded with a wry smirk of his own. "But I am not here to discuss family heirlooms." Well, not the Malfoy family heirlooms at least.

He'd gone to Gringotts the day after his conversation with Draco and made the goblins give a financial statement from each and every one of his vaults, Potter, Black, and WWW vaults in all. Pretty interesting stuff he'd found out.

Once he'd finished with that he went back into Griphook's office and had the Goblin talk him through each and every vault making sure he understood every aspect of his fortune backwards and forwards.

It had been a long day and by the time he'd returned to the Burrow to pick up James, Albus, and Lily they were nearly in tears when he stepped through the floo. They wouldn't let him out of their sight until all three of them had fallen asleep in the living room watching Harry review his financial papers.

Needless to say he had never felt so guilty in his life.

"Then what are you here to discuss, Mr. Potter?" Lucius asked in a cooler tone, his gray gaze turning calculating and sharp.

"Finances." Harry said with affected neutrality. He wouldn't let the older man know that he was, in fact, somewhat intimidating.

"Finances." Lucius repeated. They stared at one another for a moment before he dropped his hands and leaned forward in his chair. "Mr. Potter, I assure you that ever single sickle of the Malfoy fortune, every single acre of Malfoy property as been reviewed with a fine toothed comb by the Ministry and has been found perfectly legal."

Harry did snort then. "Not everything is about you, you bloody great narcissist." And he highly doubted that _all _of it was legal.

"I beg your pardon?" The man looked like he was trying to decided whether he was more insulted or puzzled. By the tone of his voice, Harry guessed he chose insulted.

"I'm not here to discuss your finances. Well," he conceded, tilting his head a bit, "not directly really. Draco mentioned the other day that you made most of your current fortune through investments."

Lucius frowned and nodded slowly. "Mostly, yes. Different types of investments." He confirmed his voice wary, but cool once more.

Harry forged on. "Draco also mentioned, in passing mind, that you might be amiable to the idea of assisting me in investing with the ultimate goal of furthering my wealth and expanding my financial diversity." He finished feeling rather nervous now.

"My son said that, did he?" Lucius questioned in an unreadable tone of voice.

"Um, yes? Kind of?" Was it possible to still feel like a twelve year-old when this man was staring at him like that?

"I see." What he saw, Harry had no idea, but he hoped it wasn't bad.

Lucius leaned back in his chair again, but kept his hands resting on the armrests, his eyes never leaving Harry. Which made him feel rather twitchy to tell the truth. He checked his Occlumency shields just to make sure they were still there.

"Mr. Potter," Lucius suddenly began after long moments of silence making Harry jump. "Why is it that you would choose me to approach with such an offer?" He asked sounding genuinely curious, or as genuine as Lucius Malfoy could sound.

"Well," Harry thought for a moment, "You have got to be the richest wizard I have ever met, and despite me hating your guts and you having tried to kill me several times in my youth, I must admit that you are an extremely smart business man if half the things Draco told me and you present yourself to be are true." He stated with completely honesty.

"When you pass on," he put that rather lightly he thought, "you will be leaving Draco and Scorpius with more than just money. You will be leaving opportunity, sound financial means, and a veritable empire. Very generous of you by the way." Lucius nodded in agreement with the compliment.

Harry took a deep breath and continued. "I want that for my kids. I want to leave them an empire that they will have to work at to keep running, that they'll be proud of, and feel privileged to have a hand in. You already have that in abundance, so I figure you can help me achieve that as well."

Lucius stayed silent and just watched him unblinkingly. They watched each other really. The air in the room seemed to be completely still.

Finally after Harry was sure his eyes would dry into raisins from lack of blinking, Lucius spoke. "I require thirty percent of the first incoming profit of every investment, be it real-estate, business, or otherwise, then fifteen percent of any profits after that."

"Five and three." Harry countered quickly.

Lucius scowled. "Twenty-five and twelve."

"Ten and seven."

"Twenty and ten."

"Fifteen and seven point five."

"Done." Lucius grinned and leaned his chair back 'til he was practically lounging in it a hand under his chin, index finger spanned across his jaw. "Where did you learn to negotiate, Mr. Potter? I'm really rather impressed."

Harry returned his grin and shrugged. "It wasn't very different from interrogating. That was taught in Auror training."

The older man just smirked at that. "I see. Well, I shall draw up a contract, shall I? I assume you wanted all of your investments legal to the nth degree." He sounded as if that were a short coming.

"I prefer it, yes." He answered wryly and watched as Lucius pulled out a solid gold featherless quill that resembled a muggle fountain pen and began dictating the terms of their agreement while it jotted everything down without missing a word. It made Harry distinctly nervous given his history with Quick Quotes Quills.

Once Lucius had finished, the quill laid itself elegantly down onto the blotter and stilled. He pulled the document towards himself and scanned it then handed it to Harry and waited while he read.

Harry forced himself to ready every single thing on the page, asking for clarification on some legalese here and there, but when he was done he could find nothing at fault.

Glancing at Lucius over the top of the document he asked, "Where did you get a Quick Quotes Quill that actually got anything right?"

"This, Mr. Potter, is not a Quick Quotes Quill." He enunciated ever single Q as if it had personally affronted him. "It is a Legitimus Quill, specifically spelled for legal documents. A document written and signed with a Legitimus Quill cannot be disputed or refuted."

"Oh." Harry now felt distinctly ignorant.

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Is everything to your satisfaction, Mr. Potter?"

He jolted and looked back down at the contract scanning it one last time before he handed it back with a nod. "Yes. It would seem that you covered all of your bases." He got a blank look. "You've covered everything." He clarified, fighting not to grin.

He may not know everything about the Wizarding World, but Lucius knew absolutely nothing about the Muggle World.

Lucius sniffed disdainfully having caught on that he'd missed something muggle and turned the contract back toward him picking up the quill and scrawling his really rather unnecessarily ornate signature at the bottom.

It was handed back to Harry along with the quill who signed Harry James Potter, seeing as Lucius signed Lucius Abraxas Malfoy. There was no spark of magical binding, or shift in the air, just the simple scratching of a quill.

Taking the document back, Lucius looked over the signatures, sneering when he saw Harry's horrid handwriting, and pulled out two more sheets of parchment. He spelled two copies of the contract onto them and handed the original to Harry.

"That is yours, Mr. Potter. The copies are just as binding as the original, should it become destroyed or lost will not create an issue." Harry nodded in understanding. "I will keep a copy for my own records and the other will have to be filed with the Ministry."

At this, Harry frowned. "Why is that? I wasn't aware that the Ministry kept tabs on legal business arrangements."

Lucius smirked rather self deprecatingly. "Ah, but they don't, Mr. Potter, and they won't be 'keeping tabs' on any further business that we do together. The Ministry does, in fact, monitor legal contracts and business arrangements aboveboard and otherwise made by formerly convicted criminals, acquitted or not."

Harry was stunned. "That's-"

"An invasion of privacy, I agree." Lucius interrupted, then smirked again. "I am, however, the only Death Eater pardoned and free of Azkaban that was not marked before their majority. I do believe they are keeping a rather close eye on me."

That made him feel somewhat miffed. Granted he didn't trust Lucius's completely aboveboard policy when it came to his own money as far as he could throw him, but it was very illegal, and an insult to Harry's judgment seeing as he got the bastard pardoned, to even ask nicely for his financial or business information. Not to mention an invasion of privacy of anybody that did business with Lucius Malfoy.

Harry made a note to speak to Kingsley about this. He couldn't imagine him sanctioning something like this.

"Now, if we are done with that, shall we discuss what typed of investments you would like to begin making?"

Harry nodded and pulled a folder from his inner coat pocket holding all of his financial information in it. He rummaged around 'til he found the papers detailing his part ownership and subsequent income from WWW and slid them across the desk.

Lucius raised an eyebrow, but picked them up and began to read.

It was highly amusing to see the old bastard's eyes grow two sizes.

"Good Lord!" He exclaimed quite uncharacteristically. "You're part owner in Weasley Wizard Wheezes? For how long?"

"Since its founding." Harry answered. "I gave Fred and George Weasley the money to start the business and in return they made me a third owner." Lucius's mouth didn't exactly fall open, but his jaw did clinch what looked like rather painfully.

"You were what, fourteen, fifteen, when they opened that blasted shop? How on earth could you have made such a savvy investment that young? Draco was still whining about acne and you at that age." He seemed rather put out now.

Harry just shrugged and rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. "I didn't really make the investment. I didn't want my Tournament winnings." He saw Lucius shift somewhat uneasily at that mention of the Triwizard Tournament and felt some satisfaction at that. "So, I gave them to the twins with the proviso that they could have the damned money as long as they bought Ron some dress robes. I didn't really care what they did with it after that."

Lucius made a bit of whimpering sound at that and looked like he was about to throw up. This man took his money way too seriously. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself before he yelled at that stupid Potter for being so horribly blase and so God awfully lucky.

"Well, let's move on, shall we?" He read through the rest of the papers and finally laid them down and began rubbing at his temples. This agreement was already giving him a headache.

"Alright, Mr. Potter. This investment in Weasley Wizard Wheezes, is scarily profitable." He sneered. "I commend you, but you have done absolutely nothing with the money. Have you discussed further developments with Mr. Weasley? Or perhaps offered to reinvest a portion of your profit back into the company, provided you receive it back with interest should that prove successful?"

"Uh... No?" He shifted uneasily. Now that he mentioned it that did seem like a good idea.

"Ah. Yes, well, I see that my work is cut out for me." Harry just glared at him.

"First things first, I shall owl Mr. Weasley and request a financial report from him. A list of any current improvements he wishes to make to the company, expansions, additions to the merchandise, research, etc, etc. I suggest that you owl when you leave here and warn him of my missive. I believe he will not take kindly to being surprised." Nope, Harry didn't think George would either.

Lucius leaned back in his seat and pressed his fingers together again. "Once I have that information and have reviewed it, I will request an appointment with both you and Mr. Weasley," another sneer, "to discuss our reinvestment options. As the only other owner of the business you really should have more of an idea of what is going on." He chastised sounding strangely paternal.

Harry shook his head to dispel that thought. He nodded. "Alright. That sounds good." It surprised him just how good that sounded. It sounded like he was actually going to be _doing _something. He'd been painfully static as of late and it had been starting to rankle him.

"I'm also going to need the rest of your financial information, Mr. Potter, so that I may begin to outline a long term plan for your expansion and diversification. Do you have any requests of investments I should look into or investments to stay away from?"

A light sparked in Harry. A light of interest. This was interesting. It was intriguing and different and challenging. It was something he could learn and have to work at.

He grinned and launched into all the ideas he had and the goals he wanted to accomplish.

* * *

"I beg your pardon?" Harry was hit with a strange deja-vu and shook his head to clear it.

"What do you need clarified, Kingsley?" He asked getting slightly angry now that his momentary lapse was over.

"I need you to clarify the whole bloody thing!" The Minister shouted slamming an enraged fist down on his expensive desk. "Someone in my Ministry is illegally requesting financial and business information from Lucius Malfoy?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?" He asked rather rudely. "I entered into a legal agreement with him and he explained to me that while two copies of the contract were for us the third would be sent to the Ministry because they were keeping tabs on him being the only Death Eater marked after their majority that had been pardoned and freed."

"That is a load bullshit." Kingsley cursed rather uncharacteristically. "Did he tell you who has been requesting this information from him?"

Harry shook his head. "He just said it was an invasion of privacy and changed the subject. I think he's not making a stink because he wants to stay as far away from Azkaban as possible."

A explosion of air escaped the dark Minister as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands tiredly. "Alright. I'll look into it. Once I've figured out who is doing this, they'll be in Azkaban and every single documented copy of unlawfully obtained information will be sent back to Mr. Malfoy, and he will be apologized to profusely."

He snorted. "You don't really need to apologize to him profusely. Just send his papers back to him and say the Ministry is under a major internal investigation to make sure this never happens again."

Kingsley peaked at him through his hands and smirked wryly. "Got it all figured out, have you?"

Harry shrugged and grinned. "Well, if I were Minister I would be doing some thorough investigating." He sobered. "Seriously though, Kingsley. This shit is serious. We can't have someone in the Ministry collecting financial information on free citizens. It's illegal, and dangerous. If you don't fix this, I will."

The Minister dropped his hands and shifted uneasily in his chair. "No need to get like that, Harry. I fully intend to hunt this guy down. I'm going to do an internal investigation and make sure that this never happens again. You're right, it's dangerous."

They sat in silence for a moment before Harry decided he had better get back to the kids. He'd left them alone at Grimmauld because they nearly tore him apart when he suggested leaving them at the Burrow while he was gone. He really needed to work on that with them.

"I've got to head back, Kingsley. I'm sorry we couldn't have seen each other under better circumstances."

Kingsly sighed wryly and stood up to shake his hand. "That's alright, Harry. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You can make it up to me by having dinner with my wife and I sometime in the near future. Bring the kids. You know how Margret adores them."

They shared a few friendly goodbyes, and Harry was out the door and hoping he could get home just a little quicker than a floo ride. It seemed that he missed his kids already.

* * *

TBC...


	4. Chapter Four

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 9,273  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Four*****

Harry watched his kids playing outside from the kitchen window while he cleaned up the dishes from breakfast and pondered this new turn in his life.

He'd sent off an owl to George to warn him of Lucius's request for information and had promptly found the redhead flooed into his kitchen to badger him with questions and frantic manipulation detection spells. Harry just laughed him off, sat him down with a cup of tea, and explained everything.

After a time of silence, George admitted that it was a good idea. He hadn't considered expanding since Fred had died, but it's not such a bad idea to look into it. Besides, Lucius Malfoy was rich enough for ten people, he must be doing something right.

That had been a fun visit, Harry reflected with a soft chuckle. They had a meeting set for the next morning to discuss WWW with Lucius and Harry was hoping he could bring the kids along to play with Scorpius while he was busy. After the last week of going on business alone he really didn't feel like he could leave them again.

The floo flared up and he looked over absently only to see Andromeda and Teddy step into his kitchen.

"Harry!" The little boy shouted his hair immediately morphing into a black messy mop atop his head.

A bright smile broke out on his face and he dropped the plate he'd been cleaning in the sink with a clatter.

"Teddy!" He opened his soapy arms for the little boy to come barreling into. "How are you, little Moony? Gosh, you're getting so big!" He exclaimed as he lifted him up into the air and squeezed him tight.

"I grew three inches." Teddy informed his godfather with a grin that reminded him so much of Tonks. "Besides, Harry, I think you're shrinking."

Harry threw his head back and laughed. "Oh quiet, you. Why don't you go outside and say hi to James, Albus, and Lily. They'll be happy to see you." He put his godson down and watched as the little ten year-old scampered out the backdoor and bounded through the yard with an ear splitting shout that was promptly answered by his cousins.

Turning back to the older woman in his kitchen, he smiled and sighed as she pulled him into a hug. "Good morning, Harry." She smiled and squeezed him.

"'Morning, Andromeda. How are you doing?" He squeezed back feeling the comfort seeping into him from the older woman.

"I should be asking you that, Harry." She sighed and pulled back to look him up and down. "You, boy, are too skinny."

He laughed and squeezed her arms once more before turning to pull out the kettle and put on some tea. "I'm sorry for not coming to see you both. It's just been really hectic lately."

Andromeda waved him off and took over making tea while he finished up the dishes. "That's understandable, Harry. Teddy just couldn't contain himself anymore and insisted we come and visit."

Harry snorted as he watched Teddy from the kitchen window directing an ambush on their garden gnome, his cousins hanging off his every word. "I think he was more excited to see the kids than me, Dromeda."

Turning, he moved over to sit with her at the kitchen table and was struck not for the first time by just how much she resembled her insane dead sister.

"Enough stalling, young man. Tell me how you all have been now that Ginevra is no longer in your lives." She instructed sternly causing Harry to almost choke.

"Blunt as always, Andromeda." He grinned wryly only to have it grow when the woman shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Yes, well, that girl never was good enough for you." She said with such an air of arrogance and breeding that Harry saw Narcissa Malfoy in her for the first time.

"Why do you say that?" He asked, somewhat perplexed. He had never thought that Andromeda had anything against Ginny. Perhaps he'd been wrong, but the woman didn't seem to have a problem with any of the rest of the Weasleys.

Andromeda took a sip of her tea and looked distinctly uncomfortable now that she had brought it up. "I didn't want to say anything, Harry, because you seemed happy, but she was never very kind to Teddy." She explained finally.

He jolted, feeling almost like he'd been slapped. "What?"

"It wasn't anything overt." Andromeda assured him with a hand on his arm. "It was just that she never seemed to like it when your attention was diverted away from her. When James was born it seemed like she couldn't stand that you spent time with us away from them." She sighed and sat back in her chair wrapping her hands around her cup.

"She was never as welcoming as you were." She finished with a wan smile before picking up her tea and sipping at it daintily.

It was then, while he felt that heavy weight of guilt reassert itself in his chest, that Harry realized that Ginny hadn't let him have Teddy over for any long visits in some years. Really, since Lily was a toddler. He groaned and slammed his head down onto the table.

"God, I'm sorry, Andromeda." He tangled his fingers in his hair and pulled. "I'm really sorry."

She chuckled sadly at him and stroked a hand over his hair soothingly. "That's alright, Harry. You didn't see it."

He pulled his head up and glared in frustration. "Yeah well, I didn't see a bloody lot, now did I?"

Andromeda tisked and pulled at his ear in punishment. "That's enough of that, Harry James. It is over and done with. She is long gone, and good riddance. There is no reason why you shouldn't spend time with Teddy again."

That's an idea, he mused dryly. "Why don't you leave Teddy with me for a while?" He asked suddenly. "You could take a break and relax, and me and the kids could spend some long overdue time with our favorite Teddy." He grinned at her.

She looked at him skeptically. "I don't know, Harry. You have your hands full with those three."

"Oh, come on. Please Dromeda?" He pleaded much like a little boy. "Please? I'll even ask the kids and see what they think." And before she could protest, he was up from his seat and swinging the kitchen door open.

"Hey! What do you heathens think about Teddy spending some time with us?" He called out over the yard. He was responded to by raucous exclamations and a thundering of feet toward the kitchen.

"Oh! Can Teddy really stay with us, Aunt Dromeda?" Lily asked, her heart in her eyes as she latched into Teddy like a limpet.

"Yeah! Can he stay?" James added eagerly followed by some light begging from Albus.

Andromeda looked from one pleading face to the other before her kind brown eyes fell on her grandson.

He smiled at her and shrugged. "Can I please stay with Harry, Grandma?" He hit her with his natural amber eyes that he inherited from his father and shocking bright pink hair like his mother used to wear knowing Andromeda couldn't resist them.

She scowled at him for it, but finally nodded and sighed in defeat. "Fine, you little devil. You can stay."

Both she and Harry were almost deafened by the outrageously loud exclamation of happiness from the kids. She rolled her eyes and stood from the table.

"Alright, how long should I pack him a bag for?" She asked Harry, hoping he knew what he was doing trying to take on all four of the kids at once.

"Oh..." He shrugged with a grin. "A week or more."

She raised an incredulous eyebrow at him and rolled her eyes. "Alright, Harry. It's your sanity."

He laughed as she popped back through the floo to pack Teddy a bag, the kids stampeding back outside to continue their war against the garden gnome.

Life was starting to get back to normal. Or at least become a lot more fun. Harry just hoped Draco didn't mind the addition the next morning.

* * *

Flooing to the Manor the next morning took some juggling. Lily went as Harry's barnacle as usual, but this time Albus was forced to floo with them leaving Teddy and James to come behind them and George to pop through last.

Despite the Manor's enormous fireplace it was still a little bit of a disaster.

Draco and Scorpius nearly split themselves open laughing at the unlikely parade that tumbled into their floo room.

"Good morning." Draco chuckled as he and Scorpius strolled up to them to make their greetings. He ignored near everyone else 'til Lily had attached herself to him sitting on his hip rather primly. "Well, I can at least say that you never cease to entertain me, Potter."

Harry huffed in annoyance and bent down to make sure all the boys were unharmed and relatively soot free. "I'm glad to be of some amusement to you, Malfoy."

"Mm." He hummed with a smug smirk before turning a rather cool regarding look on the redheaded Weasley in the room. "Weasley." He greeted.

George had quirked an eyebrow while he watched the familiarity and banter between his brother-in-law and their former enemy. "Malfoy. What a lovely home you have." He complimented rather sardonically.

Draco just snorted and rolled his eyes then turned back to Harry. "What's this? A new child, Potter? Do they just grow on trees at your place?" He asked with an amused grin.

Teddy looked at him from his place next to James and immediately morphed his hair to silver blond and his eyes to a cool gray. "I'm Teddy Lupin." He introduced, holding out his hand.

Eyebrow quirked in surprise, Draco reached down and took the proffered appendage. "Draco Malfoy, Mister Lupin." He introduced then flicked his eyes toward Harry silently asking for an explanation.

Harry cleared his throat rather uncomfortably. "Teddy's my godson. Professor Lupin, you remember him, was his father. His grandmother is letting me take care of him for a bit to give her a rest." He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I should have told you he was coming, I'm sorry."

Waving it off, Draco turned back to the little boy that was still eerily copying his features. "Don't apologize, Harry. The more the merrier, eh?" He grinned wryly. "Welcome to my home, Teddy. You may call me, Draco, and this is my son, Scorpius." He placed a hand on top of his son's head.

Teddy looked at the little blond boy and smiled widely at him. "Hi Scorpius. Albus told me a lot about you."

Scorpius blushed and peaked a look at an equally blushing Albus. "Really?"

The older boy just grinned widely, his hair morphing dishwater blue and his eyes bright green. "You are the pretty blond boy with the horses and ducks, aren't you?" He asked mischievously earning himself an elbow in the ribs from his furiously reddening little cousin.

"Teddy!" Albus moaned completely embarrassed while Draco burst out laughing, a warm rolling sound that shocked Harry with it's pleasantness.

Draco calmed himself down and adjusted Lily on his hip. "I like you, young Professor Lupin." He chuckled then shifted toward the doorway and ushered the children along with him.

"Come along, ducklings. Mother awaits us with cookies and pumpkin juice." He grinned and strolled from the room, the children following him like he was the pied piper.

Just before he disappeared from view he turned back and addressed the two men standing somewhat stunned in his floo room. "Weasley, Harry. Father is waiting for you in his study."

Then he was gone the sound of chattering children following him as he went.

George shook his head and turned to grin at Harry. "Well, well. Malfoy is sure something else. Never expected the pointy faced prat to be that good with children."

Shrugging, Harry tried to smooth his hair down again and began leading the way up the stairs toward Lucius's study. "I wouldn't have expected it either. He sort of pushed his way into my house that day he returned Albus and took over until I didn't even know what was happening. The kids love him though, and he's really not like what he used to be. He's matured, you know."

George grinned knowingly. "I'd say something about him matured."

Harry frowned and was about to asked what he meant, but Lucius's study door opened to reveal the man himself standing there waiting for them.

After they'd seated themselves in their respective chairs, Lucius pulled out all the pertinent papers and documents and various other things.

"Now, I have reviewed the information you were so kind as to send me, Mister Weasley and am, despite my better judgment, rather impressed." Lucius began, folding his fingers together over his ink blotter and settling his cool gray eyes on George. "You and your brother had quite the heads for business."

Harry could tell George was surprised by the compliment, but kept his own face as impassive as possible.

"Thank you, Mister Malfoy." He said, sounding wary in his neon lime green suit and his coordinated fuchsia waistcoat and tie. "Fred had more of a head for it than I do."

Lucius nodded then picked up a packet of papers and began flipping through them absently. "Nevertheless, you seem to be doing quite well on your own, even with Mister Potter's somewhat lackadaisical business attitude."

George turned and sent a grin at Harry who just glared at him in return. "You hear that, Harry? You're _ackadaisical_."

"Ahem." Lucius interrupted that little bicker before it could continue and raised a scolding eyebrow at both younger men before turning back to the papers in his hands. "Mister Weasley, it says here that your business offers prank and joke items of all types. Confections, toys, clothing accessories, potions, etc. Could you give me a few examples of these products?"

A mischievous grin split George's face almost in half. "Oh sure, Mister Malfoy. We've got your sweets like our Ton-Tongue Toffees, Canary Creams, and Skiving Snack Boxes: a whole line of products geared toward faking sick to get out of classes or boring business meetings and the like."

Lucius didn't look amused, but he waved George on to continue.

Shrugging, George leaned back in his chair and continued rattling WWW products off of the top of his head. "Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, Headless Hats, Pygmy Puffs, Daydream Charms," George wiggled his eyebrows at a still unamused Lucius, "Shield Hats, Cloaks, and Gloves. All sorts really."

That got Lucius's attention. "You make defense products as well as joke products."

"Yeah. Have since the war." He shrugged again and lounged in his seat. "I believe your son used some of our products to help Death Eaters enter Hogwarts." If he was hoping for a satisfactory reaction he didn't get one. Lucius just seemed even more curious as he leaned back and began tapping his chin in thought.

"Have you made any advancements in any of your lines since the end of the war?" He asked.

This time George shifted uncomfortably. Inventing had been hard for him since his partner in crime wasn't there anymore and Ron had become an Auror. "Not really." He admitted. "I have some ideas, but I haven't spent much time trying to shuffle funds around to get the money for the research and development."

That was when Harry saw Lucius's eyebrow raise in amusement and Harry knew he was in for it.

"Really? That's fortuitous, Mister Weasley, because Mister Potter is looking to reinvest some of his finances into your company." He mentioned slyly looking like the cat that got the cream.

George raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Harry in amusement of his own. "Are you, now?"

He couldn't help himself, he just grinned. This was going to be fun.

* * *

Downstairs in the solarium, Draco, Narcissa, and the children sat on piles of velvety pillows in jewel tones with gold embroidery and tassels around a low table covered in sweets and homemade candies.

Narcissa watched the children stuff their faces with a curious look on her face as she sipped her tea and nibbled delicately at her tea cookie.

"Mother, are you alright?" Draco asked. His mother had been staring at Teddy for near twenty minutes now. He didn't think she had a problem with him being the son of a werewolf, but he could be wrong.

She tore her gaze away and smiled wanly at her frowning son. "Yes, dear. I'm just puzzled. You said that Teddy was Remus Lupin's son?" She asked in a deceptively neutral tone of voice.

"Yes." Draco confirmed warily. "Lupin was killed in the Final Battle, I believe, along with his wife. Harry mentioned that he lives with his grandmother, but visits often as he's Harry's godson."

"Oh." Narcissa sounded slightly faint now. She was staring raptly at the boy once more as he entertained the other kids with morphing his nose into different and rather ghastly shapes. Of course to children this would be absolutely hilarious, but it just made Draco want to rub his own nose in sympathy.

"Is there something wrong, Mother?" He asked again noting her rather perplexed expression. "You're staring at him rather intently."

As if jolted from her thoughts, Narcissa snapped her gaze away from the child and turned her light blue eyes on her son. "I'm sorry, darling. Do you know what Teddy's mother's name was?"

Draco scowled in thought. "Nymph-something. I really don't know. She left Hogwarts before my first year. I understand there was quite a difference in age between her and Lupin. Why?"

Narcissa made a strange sound in the back of her throat. "Nymphadora Tonks." She breathed seeming not to have heard him passed that first syllable.

"Mum?" Draco asked feeling somewhat wary of her one track mind.

Ignoring him, Narcissa leaned forward and placed her tea shakily on the little table. "Teddy." She called in what she hoped was a pleasant voice. "Would you come here for a moment?"

Still giggling from the kids' game, Teddy stood up and hopped toward her before collapsing on a deep blue cushion next to hers.

"Hello, Missus Malfoy!" He smiled happily, hair and eyes morphing to match hers, his hair curling at the ends into blond ringlets. The affect was rather comical, but Draco couldn't quite laugh as he was staring worriedly at his mother.

"Hello, dear." She smiled kindly at him. "Tell me, Teddy. Do you know where you got your Metamorphmagus ability?"

"Oh yeah." Teddy smirked nonchalantly for a ten year-old. His hair brightened to an outrageous pink and eyes darkened to a warm amber. "My grandma told me my mum was a Metamorphmagus. She loved to keep her hair pink like this. Grandma said it used to drive her nuts."

Narcissa surprised nearly everyone by laughing along with him. "That's wonderful, dear. Do you know what your grandmother's name is?"

Draco didn't know where she was going with this, but he was willing to let it go. He was curious as to what his mother was getting after.

Teddy scrunched his nose up and nodded his head. "It's Andromeda. She said she was named after a constellation."

A gust of air seemed to rush out of Narcissa and she looked like she might cry. "That is very true, my dear. How is your grandmother, Teddy?" She inquired pulling herself together though her eyes seemed bright.

Teddy studied her keenly for a moment before answering. "She's great. She let me stay with Harry and my cousins for a while. I haven't gotten to see them in a long time." He told her, but Draco could tell he was trying to figure out exactly what Narcissa knew that he didn't.

Smart kid, Draco thought. He could tell he took after his father in that. Regardless of the man being a werewolf, he had been very intelligent.

After that Narcissa let Teddy return to the other children, but she kept a pensive look about her.

"Mother, would you like to explain that to me?" Draco asked after she'd sipped at her cooling tea and steadied herself.

"Do you remember me telling you, Draco, that your Aunt Bellatrix and I had a sister that was disowned?" She asked instead of answering.

"Ah." Draco popped a grape into his mouth and nodded. "Teddy's grandmother is your sister, then?"

She nodded. "My older sister. I was the youngest and the only one not named for a constellation or star."

"What was she disowned for?" Draco asked lowering his voice to keep the children from overhearing.

"For marrying a muggle-born named Theodore Tonks." Narcissa answered sounding cryptic and neutral all at once.

He looked at his mother with a frown. "And you haven't seen or spoken to her since, have you?"

"No." She confirmed her eyes falling on Teddy again.

Draco looked from his mother to Harry's godson with a sick feeling filling his gut. "Mother, if you have a problem with Teddy being here then I suggest you-"

"Oh tosh, Draco!" Narcissa interrupted her son's lecture. "I'll do nothing to the boy. He isn't at fault here. I have long since regretted isolating my sister. It was bad enough losing one to insanity and death, I wish I hadn't lost the other to pride and prejudice. Her grandson is welcome in my home regardless of whether we are on speaking terms or not."

Draco stared at his mother after her rather impassioned speech and mulled that over in his head. "You know, Mother. I'm sure that if you asked, Harry would help you get in contact with her again."

She stiffened. "I do not think Andromeda would want to hear anything of me. We shall leave things as they are. Alright, Draco? It is enough that I know she is well."

It wasn't really alright, but Draco let it drop anyway.

They sat in silence for a few more moments until the children started to clamor, wanting to go out and play in the gardens.

"Alright, ducklings, but remember stay away from the Rapier Roses, the statue of Poseidon in the back corner, and the Poisoning Poppies. Really, Mother. Who's idea was it plant such things in the public gardens?" Draco huffed as the boys all sped off in different directions shouting and screaming at the top of their sugar coated lungs.

"I believe, darling, that it was your grand-mère's," Narcissa informed him in amusement as she seated herself primly at one of the garden tables just outside of the Manor doors. "The woman is somewhat of a sadistic _witch_, isn't she?"

"Ugh." Draco scrunched his nose up and shuddered with memories of his father's mother. The woman was a nightmare. "When is she coming for a visit, again?" He asked wishing she would just stay in France where she was spawned.

Narcissa quirked an amused eyebrow at him as she snapped for a house-elf to bring tea. "Sometime next month, or the month after, dear. You'll have to ask your father, though. I never could stomach to correspond with her like he can."

"He did inherit his fascination with everything morbid from her, didn't he?" He commented wryly as he poured himself another cup of tea and stirred in a spoonful of sugar.

"I believe so, yes." Narcissa smiled blandly. "Abraxas was much more agreeable than Cassiopeia in that respect." She sipped her tea and reflected on just how much she truly disliked Cassiopeia Malfoy (née de Vil).

"You never got on, did you?" Draco inquired with some amusement.

"Not likely, darling." She responded. "I was never a good enough wife for your father according to her. Your Grand-mère wanted him to marry a nice, pure-blood, French witch. Too bad she had to settle for a not so nice, pure-blood, English witch instead."

"Meow." Draco chuckled completely diverted by the undercurrent of venom in his mother's words. "I never realized you hated her quite that much, Mother."

"I assure you, the feeling is mutual." Narcissa drawled causing her son to burst into laughter.

"Miss Cissy?" A little voice piped up from beside her making Narcissa turn with a questioning look.

"Yes, Miss Lily?" She inquired setting her tea down to turn all her attention on the little girl standing next to her.

"I don't want to play with the boys. Can I sit with you and Draco?" Lily asked. She had a smudge of dirt on her little sundress and a handful of leaves in her hair. In that moment, Draco thought she strongly resembled her father.

"Of course, sweetheart." Narcissa smiled and scooted her chair back so there was room for the little girl to climb into her lap. "Hop up, and I'll call Tizzy to bring you some pumpkin juice."

Lily situated herself in Narcissa's lap and Draco couldn't help, but feel a pang. His mother loved him and Scorpius to distraction, but she had always wanted a daughter and, failing that, a granddaughter. If things had been different maybe he could have given her one, but then he had married Astoria and that put him off any romantic relationship for a long time, male or female.

Now, though, he wasn't so opposed as he used to be.

"Lily-flower, you have leaves in your hair." Draco chuckled and leaned over to gently pluck the greenery from her fiery auburn hair before combing his fingers through it, smoothing the messy waves.

"Did all of you inherit your father's messy hair?" He sighed in playful exasperation when he realized that no matter how many times he tried, the part in her hair was still going to be a crooked zigzag.

Lily giggled as he finally gave up and just contented himself with curling a few of her locks around his fingers. "Daddy said he was sorry that we got his hair, but I don't mind. He said it's the color of my Grandma-Lily's hair, so I like it."

"It is a very lovely color, sweetheart." Narcissa chimed in after she was finished giving the house-elf instructions. "I must say, I'm quite jealous." She teased as she pulled out her wand and spelled away the smudge of dirt on Lily's dress.

"Oh! But I like your hair too, Miss Cissy." Lily protested turning on her perch to tentatively twirly a lock of Narcissa's hair around in her own little fingers. "I think yellow hair is really pretty."

"Blond, dear-heart." She corrected kindly before she handed Lily a cookie and began fussing over the little girl's hair and dress, much to Draco's amusement. "Yellow hair is called blond, but thank you, that's really sweet."

Lily just shrugged and focused her attention on the doily patterned cookie in her hand.

Draco shook his head and smiled idly as he sipped his tea and watched little patches of bright pink, blond, black, and red pop in and out of the flowers and greenery in the gardens.

He had thought that Scorpius was the most perfect child known to man, but it seemed that Harry's children, Teddy included, were right up there with him. They were all so charming, and bright in their own individual ways and each was already showing signs of great magical strength. Which wasn't surprising considering who their father was.

Draco just hoped they hadn't inherited Harry's study ethic. Teddy seemed spared considering Professor Lupin had been an intelligent man and his mother was one of the youngest Aurors ever inducted. He'd be fine at Hogwarts, but James and Albus were Potters through and through.

From what he heard, if Lily took after her namesake at all, she'd be one of the smartest witches in her year. He wasn't worried about her at all.

Grinning, he stroked a hand over her head absently before turning back to his tea and losing himself in his thoughts once again.

He'd wanted more children. He could admit that to himself now. It had been lonely growing up in the Manor with just his parents and the house-elves for company and he'd often longed for siblings to play with.

He hadn't wanted the same loneliness for Scorpius, but after Astoria it seemed inevitable. Then again, he should have seen that already. Trying to sleep with her had been like trying to make love to a marble statue. All hard and cold and unsatisfying.

Of course, that could have been because he didn't find her particularly attractive. She was undoubtedly beautiful, but Draco didn't find the female form all that alluring. Why had he let his father talk him into marriage again?

Oh, yes. It was right after the war and Lucius had wanted it to seem like his family was trying to be on the up and up. Fat lot of good that did. Still, Draco got Scorpius out of the deal so he couldn't really complain.

After Scorpius had been born, Draco realized just how much he loved children. Which was a surprise as much to himself as it was to anybody. Who would have thought that Draco Malfoy was really rather paternal, and maternal considering Astoria's atrocious lack thereof. Regardless, he'd wanted more children to love and Scorpius to grow up with.

He could have had the children himself. Done things the muggle way with sperm-donors or some such nonsense, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. First the divorce, and then Scorpius had taken up his time, he didn't want just some nameless man's sperm, and then he had the shop, and it just got pushed to the back of his mind.

Besides, Scorpius never seemed to mind being an only child. Not like he had, at least, but maybe he'd been hiding it. Draco had grown very adapt at hiding his loneliness and want for siblings. After a time it seemed cruel, even to a child, to keep asking for something his mother wanted desperately to give, but couldn't.

Narcissa had tired to have more children after Draco was born, but after three miscarriages and one stillbirth, Lucius had finally put a stop to it. He couldn't stand to see his wife's heartbroken and devastated face one more time. On some level, Draco had been relieved.

Despite these sad recollections, Draco had the ability to give Scorpius more siblings, he'd just chosen not to. He asked himself if it was selfish that he'd held back because he was scared and wary of romance of any kind, but couldn't come up with a definitive answer.

Matris(1)-a derivative of the Latin words for mother- have been in the Malfoy line since it's founding. _Sons born to carry children_, by definition, and Draco had been surprised to discover that he was one. Malfoy Matris were never only children, that was just how the trait always manifested in the Malfoy family.

Generally the trait would surface in the third or fourth child with generations of separation, but in Draco it had manifested, quite surprisingly, after it had been assumed extinct.

Perhaps that was why Draco was suddenly thinking about more children after so many years. His biological clock was ticking. He chuckled to himself and munched on another cookie. What a ridiculous thing to think.

"Draco?"

"Yes, honey?" He turned to smile at Lily who was watching him curiously.

"What's so funny?" She asked, face just radiating innocence.

He sighed and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead and tuck an errant lock of hair behind her ear. "Nothing, really. Just thought of something ridiculous."

"Oh!" Her face lit up in understanding. "Like when you have to make a Bogart go away?"

Draco couldn't help rolling his eyes at that. Of course Harry would teach his five year old daughter how to banish a Bogart. "Yes, sweetie. Exactly like that."

Then again, maybe he was thinking about kids now because he suddenly found himself surrounded by ones he wanted to keep forever. He thought about that as the boys' laughter drifted toward them on the garden porch.

* * *

Teddy crouched in a patch of elephant ear, hair dark green to blend in, and stifled a breathy chuckle as he waited for James to back up just one... more... step.

"Gotcha!" He cried as he leaped from the greenery and tackled his younger cousin to the grassy path.

"Ahh!" James landed hard, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he tried to spit grass out of his mouth. "Gerr-off me, Teddy!" He struggled to rollover and practically threw the older boy off of him.

Teddy landed on his back laughing like a loon. "You're it! You're it!" He chanted as he clutched at his stomach and tried to suck in a breath around his giggles.

Scowling sullenly, James harrumphed and got to his feet. "Fine. I'm it, you great bloody cheater."

That just made Teddy laugh harder. "Hey Al, Scor! James is it!" He was met with a chorus of groans.

"But he runs too fast!" Albus complained as he stepped out from behind a boxwood pruned in the shape of a giraffe.

"Yeah! And his arms are too long." Scorpius added with smirk as he wandered toward them on the path. "He won't even have to run. He'll just have reach for us." He demonstrated by thrusting his arm out as far as it would go.

James just stomped and set off after the blond boy. "I'll show you reach!" He shouted as Scorpius let out a frightened yelp and dashed off through the undergrowth.

Albus and Teddy grinned at each other and faded back into the garden around them like Harry and Ron had taught them.

The green haired little boy was crouched behind a boxwood rhino listening to his companions shout in surprise before dashing off here and there to avoid James. It was nice here at Malfoy Manor, he thought. Draco was cool and Missus Malfoy was nice, if a little bit odd.

He liked spending time with Harry most of all though. He smiled and darted out from his hiding place and lunged into a tangle of wisteria, his hair fading to a mix of purple and white to match the blossoms.

Harry was the only father figured he'd ever had and even if it was bad, Teddy was glad Aunt Ginny was gone. She had never liked him and was always making up excuses for him to not see Harry. His grandma didn't think he knew, but kids are more perceptive than adults give them credit for. Teddy could tell that Ginny didn't like him taking Harry away from her. Just as he didn't like Ginny taking Harry away from him.

It was different with James, Albus, and Lily though. He didn't resent them for having some of Harry's attention. They were like his siblings and they loved him like he loved them, but Ginny hadn't loved him at all. He was glad she'd run away with some other guy and left Harry. Now, he would be able to visit Harry and his cousins whenever he wanted.

Scorpius giggled quietly to himself as he crept through the large patch of red and yellow bird of paradise flowers his grandmama had planted trying to keep his head down and blend in.

He had never been quite this happy in his life, he thought. This was even better than when his dad bought him his first practice broom and let him ride it all afternoon. Scorpius didn't have many friends, it was hard for him to make them. They were either mean to him because he didn't act like a heathen, as his father would say, or he couldn't relate to them at all, but Albus was different.

Almost from the moment Scorpius had set eyes on him, he'd wanted to be friends with him so badly. It made him so happy now that they were friends it felt like he would burst sometimes. And James and Lily were so cool too.

James knew absolutely everything, and Lily was so nice! Scorpius sorely hoped that Harry would come over and bring them to play all the time. Even though he didn't ever tell his dad, he got lonely being the only kid at the Manor.

There was always plenty of stuff to do, but sometimes he just wanted to play with other kids. Meeting Albus had been like a dream come true. He really hoped Harry would stay at the Manor so then he could see James and Albus and Lily -and even Teddy- all the time.

Scorpius stepped out of the birds of paradise only to hear a menacing hiss from underneath his foot. He looked down and let out a frightened scream.

Across the garden at the tables, Draco jumped to his feet and raced toward exotic section of the gardens where he'd heard that sound that made his heart pound nearly out of his throat. His son was in trouble.

Slowly, very slowly Scorpius backed away from the furiously hissing snake as it reared up to look him in the eyes. The snake had a green and brown mottled hide and was thin and long. Not really terrifying by itself, but it didn't take much for the snake to completely petrify Scorpius in fear.

Albus had heard his friend's scream and came out of the bushes at the same instant Draco appeared further down the path just in time to see the snake make a warning strike toward Scorpius.

Fear spurred him on and Albus lunged forward and began hissing frantically. _"Stop! Stop! That's my friend, don't hurt him!" _He begged the snake.

It paused before another strike and slowly turned toward him sinking lower toward the ground. _"You claim this human, Young Master?" _The snake asked lowering its head differentially.

Albus almost wilted in relief as he hissed back, _"Yes, he's my friend. Why would you want to hurt him?"_

The snake sank all the way to the ground, but continued looking up at Albus and replied, _"My apologies, Young Master. I am not normally this aggressive, but your friend stepped on my tail before I could slither out of the way. It hurt and I was angry."_

"Oh." Albus said in English, then hissed, _"I'm sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you. You blend in so well, it would be hard to see you. I hope you're not hurt?"_

The snake shook its head. _"I am not seriously injured. I was more startled." _It lifted its head and looked around at the other people watching them and asked, _"I apologize once again for frightening your friend, Young Master, but if I may be on my way?"_

Albus grinned and nodded. _"Bye, Mister Adder_(2)._"_ He called as the snake slithered back into the undergrowth.

"Well," Draco breathed after a beat of silence. "That took me back." Suddenly he had Albus's pale face staring up at him in fear.

"Draco, you aren't going to tell anyone, are you? Oh! Please don't tell anyone!" He pleaded tears springing to his eyes. "Daddy said not to tell anyone, but I just couldn't let Mister Adder bite Scorpius! I'm sorry."

Draco's heart broke a little at the sight of those tears and he crouched on the ground and pulled both Scorpius and Albus into his arms. "It's alright, Albus. I'm not mad. Don't ever think I'd be mad." He soothed as the little boy sniffled and buried his head into Draco's neck.

Turning to his own son, he stroke a hand over his fine blond hair worriedly. "You're not hurt are you, Scorpius?"

The boy shook his head and collapsed against his dad. "No, it just scared me is all. I thought it was going to bite me."

Sighing heavily, Draco wrapped his arms around both boys tighter and rubbed soothingly over their backs. He looked up to find James and Teddy, along with his mother and Lily all watching him in trepidation.

"You're not going to tell anyone are you, Draco?" Teddy asked, sounding more wary than frightened.

He shook his head and gave the two frightened boys in his arms a quick squeeze. "No, of course not. I was there when everyone discovered Harry could speak Parseltongue." He told them then paused and chuckled. "Actually, it was my fault that everyone discovered it."

That earned him a wan smile from the children. Albus pulled his face away from Draco's neck and wiped furiously at his eyes to get rid of the remnants of his tears.

Draco smiled at him before turning his gaze on James and Lily. "Can either of your speak it as well?" He asked, genuinely curious.

James fidgeted rather uncomfortably before nodding. "Yeah, we can speak it." He said. "Though, not as good as Albus. Me and Lily have to practice."

He just chuckled at that and shook his head in amusement. "There's nothing wrong with practice."

"You're really not scared of us?" Lily asked sounding like she would break down in tears of her own if Draco said he was.

"No, sweetheart." He soothed as he released his hold on the boys and stood up, though he kept a protective hand on Scorpius' head. He'd nearly had a heart-attack when he'd seen that snake go after him. "You're not in the least bit scary. Parselmouth used to be a very rare gift, a sign of a very powerful witch or wizard. The first notable Parselmouth was Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts."

Lily seemed to shrink in relief, actually leaning against Narcissa as she gave him a small smile. "Oh good. Daddy said that when people found out about his gift they were scared of him."

Draco nodded. "That's understandable. It's extremely rare, and sometimes regarded as Dark magic. Personally, I think anybody who thinks i_that/i _is completely idiotic." He said with vehemence.

The children giggled with him warily until James asked, "Will you tell us about when Dad found out he could talk to snakes?"

"Well, I'm not sure when exactly he found out, you'll have to ask him that yourself, but I can tell you about when everyone at Hogwarts found out. It's really an interesting story." He answered.

Everyone broke into excited smiles and darted off toward the garden tables to get ready for the story.

Draco stepped up to his mother who had been standing there quietly, face deathly pale. "Mum, are you alright?" He murmured.

She jolted and shook herself before she nodded and pressed a hand to her heart. "Yes, dear. I'm sorry, it's just- the last time I heard that was when _ihe/i _was staying at the Manor. It brought everything back for a moment."

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he gave her a comforting hug. "It's alright, Mum. I know." He soothed and walked her back to the tables at a more sedate pace.

* * *

Harry and George followed the house-elf out to the gardens where they were supposed to find the kids and Draco.

Their meeting with Lucius had gone surprisingly smoothly. Harry was going to finance the research and development for some products George had been itching to work on and soon they were going to start looking for another location to expand.

He had another meeting set up with Lucius to discuss other investment ideas he had.

Rounding the corner to the sound of laughter, Harry paused just outside the door and smiled at the sight before him.

Draco was seated on the stone laid patio with Lily in his lap and the boys sprawled around him. Narcissa was sitting primly at the table next to them sipping her tea and chuckling along to the story. Whatever it was it must be very funny.

Harry decided to stay out of the way and listen, George grinned at him and followed his lead.

"And back in those days Harry and I were horrible rivals. We hated each other." Draco explained as the children's giggles over Snape disarming Lockhart so humiliatingly subsided . "It was no secret just how much we disliked one another, so naturally Snape had to pair us together for the disarming practice."

"What happened?" Lily asked from her place in his lap.

"Well, I'm about to tell you." He teased, then continued on with his story. "We were supposed to 'disarm only', so of course we threw every spell we could at each other, as did everyone else, as well.

"I hit Harry with _Everte Statum(_3), which didn't do much good as he popped back up and flung _Rictusempra_(4) right back at me." He grinned and sighed exaggeratedly as the older boys who knew what the spell did fought to hold in their laughter. "I dropped right there laughing so hard, I thought I was going pee in my pants!"

Next to Harry, George snorted, but smothered his laughter to keep their presence secret 'til the end of the story.

At that little tid-bit all the children burst out in raucous laughter and began rolling around on the ground in hysterics. Narcissa had to put her tea down to keep from spilling it on her dress.

"What happened! What happened!" Albus begged leaning heavily on Scorpius to keep from falling over.

"Oh, well, after that Harry thought it was unsporting to attack a downed opponent, so I had ample time to slip a _Tarantallegra_(5) in between giggles." He informed them rather smugly and matter-a-factly. "Harry was stuck doing the quickstep until Lockhart called a halt and Snape came around and set us to rights."

The kids just kept on laughing. It was a happy sight to see. Harry just smiled and continued to listen.

"Individual duels weren't working out too well, so Lockhart decided to put Harry and me up on the stage and let us have at it." He went on, something in his voice sounded like he was reaching the apex of the story so the children quieted down and leaned in. Harry and George almost found themselves leaning as well, even though they knew where this story was going and Harry wasn't sure he liked it.

"When he got up there, Lockhart demonstrated some completely ridiculous technique for blocking spells and your dad didn't have a clue as to what to do. I was busy laughing evilly to myself when Snape leaned down and whispered in my ear, 'Draco, why don't you give the Wonder Boy something to be afraid of? Cast _Serpensortia(_6) and watch him flounder.'" Draco whispered as he spoke, making his voice sound eerily similar to the late Potion Master's.

The kids gasped in anticipation and leaned toward him. "Now, I thought that was a brilliant idea. Everybody knows Gryffindors are afraid of snakes, so why not try it out and watch Harry cower in fear."

Harry wondered if Draco realized that he was projected his childhood self. His voice sounded just a tad more mocking, more sneering. His handsome face turning pointy around the edges as he smirked maliciously. It disturbed Harry, but the kids seemed to be eating it up, just another aspect of Draco's story telling.

"So, before Lockhart even finished the countdown I cast it. _Serpensortia_!" He shouted, arm thrusting outward, hand clasped as if he held a wand in it ready to conjure up a snake. The kids jumped in surprise. "Out of the tip of my wand, a long black snake burst toward Harry hissing and snapping furiously!"

That was a bit of an embellishment, but Harry did have to admit that it made for a more exciting story.

"What happened after that?" James asked, eyes wide and bright with excitement.

Draco grinned at him. "Your dad just stopped moving and stared at the snake. The whole room was stunned silent. Then Lockhart, the bloody great idiot, steps up and claims he can get rid of it." Draco sneered. "Instead of banishing the thing he kicked it up ten feet in the air, so when it landed hard, with a thump, it came up hissing and spitting and madder than ever."

Lily gasped and clutched at Draco's shirt causing him to rub absently at her back as he continued. "The snake turned around and headed for the first person closest to it ready to do some damage: another boy in our year, a Hufflepuff, if I remember correctly. So the snake was inches from striking then suddenly your dad jumps forward and starts hissing at it. He sounded real strange, all those snake noises coming from his mouth and no one could tell what on earth he was saying, but the snake just stopped moving and curled up in a little ball until Snape came up and vanished it, like that." He snapped for emphases.

"Wow." Scorpius breathed. "That's so cool! I wish I could talk to snakes."

Harry heart jumped in his chest when Albus turned toward him and said, "It's not that hard. I could probably teach you." Oh God! Oh God! Draco Malfoy knew his kids were Parselmouths!

"I don't know about that, Albus. Parselmouth is an inherited gift. It would be very difficult, next to impossible to learn." Draco said as calmly as you please. Harry almost fainted.

Narcissa turned from the group sitting at her feet and spotted them standing up outside the door way. "Oh, did you boys hear the story?" She asked innocently, but her keen blue eyes took in Harry's pale face and fearful look. "The children asked Draco to tell the story of how you discovered that you were a Parselmouth." She explained mildly.

Draco, shrewd man that he was, just grinned at him and nodded as he bounced Lily a little on his knee. "Yes, they were curious about the story after this afternoon."

"This afternoon?" He asked, his voice rough.

"Mm." Draco hummed absently. "Albus saved Scorpius from being bitten by an adder."

"Yeah!" Scorpius exclaimed, hoping to dispel the odd vibes coming off of the adults. "He was brilliant. Just started having a conversation with it."

Harry had to smile a little at that. Scorpius was perhaps the only child he knew that could make being a Parselmouth sound like the neatest thing since sliced bread. It probably had something to do with generations of Malfoys being sorted into Slytherin.

"Dueling Club second year wasn't actually the first time I'd every talked to a snake." He said, suddenly feeling a whole lot better. He should have known that out of every wizard in England, Draco was the one most likely to be accepting about his family's gift.

"When was the first time?" Teddy asked curiously, his hair a strange mottled brown-green pattern.

"Well," he began as he stepped up to the table and pulled out a chair, George following behind him just as eager as the children to hear the story. "The first time was when your Uncle Dudley turned eleven."

He told the story about accidentally vanishing the glass around the Boa Constrictor's tank and how the snake had thanked him as he set off on its journey to Brazil.

The children laughed hard, along with George when he described how the snake had snapped at Dudley and Peirce's ankles.

"That's quite the story, Harry." Narcissa smiled at him over her cup of tea.

He smiled back.

"Dad, can we get a snake?" Albus asked.

"No." Popped out of his mouth before he even had time to consider it.

"Aw! Why not? It would be so cool. Lily and I could practice talking to it, so we could get as good as you and Al." James said accompanied by an emphatic nod from Lily.

"Please?" She begged from Draco's lap making him chuckle and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Yeah! Come on, Harry! I can't talk to snakes, but a boa constrictor would be so awesome!" Teddy cheered completely taken with the idea of having a pet snake.

Harry just snorted and shook his head. "Your grandmother would have a fit if I let you go home carting a giant boa constrictor."

"Teddy could keep his at our house, Dad!" James volunteered, getting more and more excited about the prospect of having a scaly pet.

"Well, I'm glad you've got it all figured out, James, but the answer is still no." Harry informed his oldest son, trying to sound decisive.

"But why!" He burst out. "It's not like we can't talk to them and tell them not to eat us if they get hungry."

That brought Harry up short, because it was completely true. As Parselmouths they were all considered the Masters of the Snakes. Snakes naturally follow whatever they tell them to do.

"Give up, Potter." Draco drawled from his previously silent seat on the ground. "You aren't going to win this one. I suggest you just give in now and save yourself the headache."

"He's right, Harry." George chimed in with a shit eating grin on his face as he nibbled on a delicate looking cookie. "Your kids are as stubborn as you are. They won't stop 'til you've gone crazy or bought them their snake."

"Fat lot of help you are." Harry grumbled at him.

"He's right, Dad." James piped up, apparently making himself their unofficial snake spokesperson. "You're just going to have give into to our irresistible cuteness." And on cue all four of his children, Teddy included, turned the worst puppy dog faces on him that he'd ever seen.

"Oh God. Just stop before you make me puke. Fine! Fine, you horribly spoiled brats win. You can get your bloody snake." He sighed and let his head fall into his hands as they all started shouting excitedly and jumping up and down.

When he lifted his head again he caught sight of Scorpius crawling toward his father and asking in a quiet voice, "Dad, can I have a snake, too?"

"I don't know, son." Draco responded just as quietly as he brushed back Scorpius's long bangs from his hopeful face. "We can't speak Parseltongue and I don't want what happened today to ever happen again."

Scorpius's face melted a little in disappointment before he nodded in resignation. "Okay. I understand."

Albus, seeing his friend's less than happy expression, came up and sat next to him again. "It's okay, Scorpius. You can play with my snake, and I'll teach you Parseltongue so you can get one of your own."

The blond boy smiled brightly at his friend and wrapped him in a grateful hug. "Thanks, Albus."

Later that night after Harry had tucked his kids into bed and giggled with Teddy for a little while, He laid in his bed and thought about Scorpius and Albus.

By all rights they should be sworn enemies and yet they are the complete antithesis to what Draco and Harry had been when they'd first met. They were very nearly best friends where Harry and Draco had been bitter dangerous rivals.

Though, perhaps you could chalk it up to different upbringing.

Albus was brought up loved and cared for. Scorpius was not over indulged by the looks of it and taught better manners than Draco had been.

If Harry had grown up in a loving family, would he have been more willing to give Draco a second chance after he'd acted like such a spoiled brat? Perhaps, but the past is the past and now, older and wiser, Harry and Draco were finally getting the chance to be friends.

* * *

(1) The Latin for mother is _mater matris_.

(2) The Adder snake is the only venomous snake native to Great Britain and the only one frequently spotted in Scotland.

(3) _Everte Statum_: sends your opponent flying backwards.

(4) _Ristusempra_: aptly named the Tickling Charm.

(5) _Tarantallegra_: jinx that induces uncontrollable dancing legs.

(6) _Serpensortia_: conjures a long black snake.

TBC...


	5. Chapter Five

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 4,902  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Five*****

Harry trudged through Diagon Alley trying to ignore the stares as he dragged Lily behind him by the hand. James, Albus, and Teddy followed distractedly laughing and pushing and chasing as they went.

It always amazed him how his children could be completely oblivious to the adoring, awed stares that followed him everywhere he went. Rose and Hugo were oblivious too, so he guessed it just came with the territory of having famous, war hero parents.

They made it all the way to the Magical Menagerie without a single person wishing to give him their condolences about his divorce or wanting to shake his hand. So far, it was a pretty good shopping day.

Stepping into the Menagerie, they were hit with a wave of pure animal smell. It came as a cross somewhere between animal poo, barnyard, hay, ferret food, and just plain fur. Of course the kids started bouncing even more excitedly.

A young woman came up to them and smiled benignly. Either she didn't recognize him or just chose discretion as the better part of valor.

"Welcome to the Magical Menagerie. Is there something I can help you find?" She asked and smiled kindly down at the kids.

"Snakes!" Burst out Lily unable to contain herself any longer. "Can we look at the snakes?"

The young shop clerk jolted back in surprise and took a second look at them all. Her eyes landed on Harry and she peered closer only to have them widen in surprise before she composed herself.

"Snakes? Are you sure, Miss Potter?" She asked sounded rather hesitant now. "Wouldn't you rather look at our Puffskeins or Kneazels?" Now, she just sounded downright hopeful. Harry had to hold himself back from laughing.

"Nope!" James grinned his most charming grin at her. "We want to look at the snakes."

She made a distressed sound in the back of her throat and looked pleading at Harry.

He just shrugged and smiled apologetically. "They are determined to have themselves a pet snake." He said in explanation. Maybe if he played it off as childish fancy she'd loosen up and just show them the bloody reptiles already. "You do carry snakes, don't you?"

With a resigned sigh, her shoulders slumped and she nodded. "Yes, Mister Potter. Please follow me."

She led them toward the back of the store where they found a huge tank literally teeming with snakes. They slithered over each other, sunbathed lazily on the rocks underneath the magical miniature sun, and hung sleepily from the spindly trees stretching out across their environment.

"Wow!" All four of the little trouble makers breathed in awe.

Harry had to agree with them. It was a really nice tank. He wouldn't have minded living in there himself. "They're aren't any poisonous snakes in there, are there?" He asked the shop attendant nervously. "I don't want them to get attached to a venomous snake and force me to bring it home."

She looked at him puzzled for a moment before she shook her head slowly. "No, sir. This tank houses our Pythons and Constrictors. We have two Burmese Pythons, those large ones curled up in that corner, and the rest are a mix of Ball Pythons, Boa Constrictors, Reticulated Pythons, and Dwarf Reticulated Pythons."

"Wow." He said, unconsciously parroting his children. "That's pretty cool."

Harry and the shop clerk watched, Harry with amusement and the clerk with a growing sense of unease, as the Potter children and Lupin adoptee began lifting snakes out of the tank and getting to know them.

"I like this one." Lily declared holding up an Albino Tiger Reticulated Python(1). It hissed in her ear as it curled loosely around her neck and shoulders settling down comfortably.

Lily giggled as the snake's tongue tickled her and began hissing back.

The shop clerk gasped and took a sudden step back before checking herself and returning to her former place. Harry watched this warily out of the corner of his eye, but kept most of his attention focused on his daughter as she continued to converse with the snake.

_"You have lovely fur."_ The snake hissed into Lily's ear.

The little girl smiled happily and hissed back, _"Thank you, but it's not fur, it's hair! And you are really lovely too. I've never seen a snake with such pretty pink and purple scales before." _

_"And you wont again, my dear."_ The snake responded. _"I'm one of a kind."_

Lily gasped in surprise and turned to her daddy with bright shining eyes. "Daddy! Can I have her? She's perfect."

Harry took a step forward and pretended to think it over as he lifted the snake from his daughters shoulders and examined her closely. She was a very beautiful snake.

_"Serpent Lord, let the little one take me with her."_ The snake hissed at him with what constituted a pleading look for a reptile.

_"I will if you swear never to harm her and promise to treat my daughter well."_ He hissed sternly.

She reared back looking somewhat affronted. _"Of course, my Lord. Your Fire Lily has my allegiance in her coils already."_

Harry chuckled at that and set her back down on Lily's shoulders. "She's a tad sassy, but if you like her, Lily, you can have her."

"Thank you, Daddy!" She cried and turned back to continue conversing her new companion.

Harry looked over to see what the shop clerk was up to and almost burst out laughing. She looked about to faint from the way she was leaning against that rack of owl treats. He strode over to her with a what he hoped was a innocuous smile.

"Are you alright?" He asked in concern. "Would you like to sit down?"

She flushed at being caught out in her astonishment and straightened up. "No, I'm alright, Mister Potter. It's just a little hot in here." She tugged weakly at her collar and fanned herself with her other hand.

He frowned, but shook it off and turned to continue watching his kids pick out their snakes.

Albus had a long thick Firefly Pastel Ball Python(2) dangling from his hands as he stared at it with wide awed eyes. _"You are so cool."_ He hissed without even realizing it.

_"You are very easy to impress, young Moon."_ It hissed back, sounding amused.

Albus blinked then frowned. _"Why do you say that?"_

_"Because I am not the oldest, nor the longest, nor the most learned in this nest."_ It responded easily as it slithered through Albus's hands and over his shoulders. _"There are other much more impressive snakes here than I."_

Albus smiled wryly as he stroked a hand along the snake's smooth cool body examining his pale yellow and gray ghostly patterned scales. _"That's alright."_ He told him. _"I'm not the oldest, or the tallest, or the smartest either, but I'm only seven so I've got time to work on that." _

The snake lifted his head from Albus's shoulder and looked him right in the eyes. _"I am only two. Perhaps we can help one another surpass ourselves."_

Smiling softly, he continued to stroke over the snake's head. _"I'd like that."_

Teddy stuck his hand in a large pile of snakes and just waited for one to slither up his arm. He didn't have to wait long. Two Dwarf Sunfire Reticulated Pythons(3) latched onto him like a couple of octopus tentacles.

_"Ooh! I love your hair, little Chameleon."_ One small snake hissed as he wound his way up Teddy's arm, into his shirtsleeve, out his collar, and slithered into his neon blue hair.

The other curled her body tightly around Teddy's wrist and began tasting his skin. _"Mm. You taste of colors and the time of shedding our skins. Very groovy." _She hissed making her self contented against his pulse point.

Teddy reflexively morphed his hair to match the snake's dark orange, gray, and black diamond pattern before he turned to James with a bemused expression. "What did they say?" He asked.

James just shook his head in amusement. "The one on your head said he liked your hair and called you a chameleon. What's a chameleon?"

"It's a lizard that changes color for camouflage." He murmured looking up, trying to see the snake perched on his head.

Shrugging, James gestured to the one curled around Teddy's wrist. "She said you tasted like colors and the 'time of shedding our skins'. Whatever that means."

Teddy smiled absently as he lifted his wrist and stroked a hand over her body then pulled the other snake from his head and curled him around his neck. "I like them." He said softly. "I like them a lot."

James smiled at him before turning away and scanning his eyes over all the snakes trying to find the _perfect _one.

_"You looking for something, sugar?"_ Hissed a snake from right up against the tank wall making James jump in surprise.

Glancing down, he saw the sharpest looking snake in the tank. The Pinstripe Ball Python(4) slithered up until its head was chest height before she hissed again. _"Were you looking for something in particular, little Sirius?"_ She asked again.

James shook his head and gingerly lifted her out of the tank. _"Not really, just looking."_ He said as he helped the snake wrap around his shoulders.

_"Oh, well, see anything you like? There are some great snakes in this nest."_ She told him as she snuggled against his neck soaking up his body heat. She was pretty big; long and just a smidgen thicker than thin, but curled up she seemed small. Her weight, though, made James's shoulder want to sag.

_"I kind of like you."_ He responded as he studied her warm burnt orange body and thin black stripes.

She lifted her head in what could pass for surprise on a snake. _"Really?"_

_"Yeah."_ He smiled at her when she flicked her tongue out smacking him on the nose with it. _"I think you're really cool looking."_

_"I've never been called cool before." _She said happily. _"All the others think I look too warm all the time."_

James frowned at that then shrugged._ "Would you like to come home with me?"_ He asked her hopefully.

_"What sorts of things would we do at your nest?"_ She asked curiously.

He shrugged. _"Oh, I don't know. Hang out, talk, play pranks on people-"_

_"Pranks? Like mischief?" _She inquired hopefully. James hissed in the affirmative. She gave what could be a snaky chuckle and curled just a little tighter around him. _"Good. I love mischief."_

Harry looked around at his kids and examined their new pets. They were all good sized reptiles and he'd been informed that they were all pretty matured. They should stop growing soon, thankfully, so he didn't have to worry about them reaching epic proportions. That is, except for Teddy's two little snakes.

"Teddy, two snakes?" He asked as he stepped closer to look at them.

The little boy shrugged shyly and petted his snakes. "They're small and they knew I could change."

That was all Harry needed to hear. Teddy had some problems when he was younger adjusting to the fact that he was different. Even though he couldn't talk to them, maybe having snakes that knew he could change and liked it would help him be more comfortable.

"Alright." He said with a smile at his kids. "Let's get this over with."

They marched up to the counter to pay for their snakes and their supplies. A tank large enough for Lily to lay down in was floating next to the register, a cage with enough rats to feed the snakes for a half a year, rat food, a book on constrictor care, and a box of Artemis's favorite owl treats were all rung up by a suddenly starry eyed shop keep.

"Is there anything else you need, Mister Potter?" She asked her cheeks going a little flush despite the kids hissing to their snakes in the background.

He frowned in confusion. Usually whenever anyone hears Parseltongue they run for hills. "No, thank you. Just the snakes and the supplies."

Harry shelled out a small fortune and shrank all the supplies into a smaller bag so he could carry that in one hand and the rat cage in the other.

"Alright, Lily stay close to Teddy. We don't want anyone getting lost. Does everyone have their snakes?" He asked as they lined up by the door of the Menagerie ready to head home. He received three affirmative hisses and one English yes. Rolling his eyes, he pulled the door open and stepped out onto the street.

The kids trailed after him completely distracted by their new pets. They didn't see how people gasped when the walked passed or how the path ahead of them cleared almost as fast as it had when the war had first ended and everyone was in awe of the Savior.

A distinctly uncomfortable feeling was crawling up his spine. Harry turned around and made sure to keep his voice low. "Hey guys, knock off the hissing until we get home. It's drawing too much attention."

The kids blinked then looked around to see several curious and quite a few frightened stares directed at them. Lily inched toward her father and grabbed onto his sleeve with one hand keeping the other pressed to her snake. The boys quieted down and kept in a close group behind Harry after that.

Once they arrived home, Harry extracted promises of loyalty and allegiance from every single snake. They were pretty agreeable, and Harry got a feel for what kind of trouble he'd gotten himself into when he agreed to let his kids have pet snakes.

Lily's snake, Belle, he was informed by his daughter, was a flirtatious thing. She was the equivalent to a girly girl in the reptilian world. Of course, Harry surmised that if you pissed her off, she'd get you when you least expected it.

Tal, Albus' snake, was somewhat of an aspiring intellectual. He was quiet, polite, but had a sharp mind and a calm disposition. Harry thought he fit Albus pretty well. Tal was still young and had some growing to do before his personality was complete. Much like Albus.

Nova and Stella were Teddy's brother and sister dwarf snakes. They reminded Harry of the 1960s hippie revolution in the States Hermione had told him about once. They sounded very much like reptilian beach bums. He was informed that their Chameleon was a very righteous little dude and that they were very psyched about his "skin shedding" talent.

He couldn't help, but burst out laughing. They fit Teddy perfectly.

Now James' snake, Mischief, as his son had dubbed her, was going to cause him some grief he could tell. She had a mischievous streak a mile wide, but it was tempered by a sweet nature. She seemed very taken with James and he with her. Harry shuddered to think what kind of trouble they'd get themselves into, but he was willing to put up with it.

After he let the kids wander off to get acquainted with their snakes Harry set up their habitat in an empty bedroom on the third floor, the floor below the kid's rooms. He put the rats on the other side of the room from the tank and warded their corner in case one of the snakes turned out to be a glutton and tried to pinch one before their feeding time.

Setting spells for automatic clean up and food and water replenishing was simple and soon Harry deemed himself finished.

He want back downstairs to find Albus in the library trying his hand at translating one of his favorite books to Parseltongue so that Tal would understand it, Lily sprawled on her belly in the living room chatting about girly things with Belle, and James and Teddy in the backyard playing some game with Mischief, Nova, and Stella.

Sitting down at his desk in his study to look through some of the papers Lucius gave him, Harry decided that today had been a good day.

* * *

"This is starting to become a habit, Harry." Draco drawled as he lounged in the backyard of number 12 Grimmauld sipping on a glass of good scotch.

Harry snorted and sipped at his own drink. "Are you complaining?" He asked wryly.

"No, not complaining." Draco grinned at him as he watched their kids run around the yard shouting and playing with their snakes. "Just pointing it out. You do realize that for former enemies we spend and inordinate amount of time together, don't you?" He raised an eyebrow at him.

Frowning, Harry thought about that. It was true. This was the first time Harry had hosted Draco and Scorpius for a play date, but he and the kids had been to the Manor nearly a dozen times. And they liked it.

Draco was charming, funny, and clever. He could still be snarky and infuriating, but it didn't burn in Harry's gut like it used to. He considered him a friend now. Someone he could tell things to, talk about things with. He'd even told Draco things that not even Ron and Hermione knew.

"Well, I figured that since we're getting on so well, we might as well be friends. You got a problem with that?" He asked neutrally, but hoped quite fiercely that Draco wanted to be friends and not just his kid's best friend's father.

Surprise flashed through those sharp gray eyes before it was gone and replaced by a pleased smirk. "You know what, Harry. I think I'd like that. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, friends at last." He laughed and leaned back in his chair sipping his scotch contentedly.

Harry grinned at him then tilted his head back and relaxed. It was late afternoon and soon the sun would start to set. Already the moon was reflected in the blue sky opposite the sun and the breeze had cooled. It was a nice day.

A continuous hissing interspersed with English filtered through Draco's mind and he turned his head to see Albus and Scorpius sitting in the grass on the other side of Harry with Tal curled between them.

"Okay, now try SSSsssahShhsss." Albus instructed the other boy in a tone that reminded Draco very much of Professor McGonagall.

Scorpius frowned in concentration. "SSSSSSSSSSShHass." He hissed to Tal, then looked up at Albus with hopeful eyes.

Albus shook his head. "Almost, but you didn't say the little s's." He told him helpfully.

Sighing in disappointment, Scorpius reached over to pet the snake as he asked, "What did I say, then?"

Shrugging, Albus shifted uncomfortably, obviously unwilling to discourage his friend. "You didn't really say anything. It sounded kind of like Lily used to when she was baby and was trying to talk to us."

The other boy groaned and let his head fall dramatically to his hands. "What's the difference from the big S's and the little s's?"

Draco turned his eyes to Harry and elbowed him gently in the ribs. "Hey, Potter."

Harry turned his head lazily toward his friend. "Hm?"

"You kid is teaching my kid how to babble in Parseltongue." He told him in amusement.

"What?" Harry frowned in turned to look at Albus and Scorpius.

He tuned in just in time to hear Scorpius hiss something that roughly translated to, "GshfjGH ASS djfiDOhg bollocks."

Bolting up, Harry shouted, "Albus! What exactly are you teaching Scorpius to say?"

The little boy blushed and stammered, "It was an accident, Dad! I was trying to teach him to say, _'the sun is warm on my rock_', but he couldn't get the little s's. He didn't mean to say that." Albus explained, hunching his shoulders defensively, his face reddening.

Harry deflated and blushed almost as red as his son. That phrase was a traditional positive serpentine response when another snake inquired after your health. Perfectly innocent until you missed one hiss and turned it into a mostly garbled sexual proposition.

"Oh. Well -um- just keep working at it, then. Sorry for yelling." He scooted down in his chair and tried to hide his heated face behind his scotch glass.

"Potter, what exactly is your son teaching mine?" Draco asked voice sounding amused, but with an edge of warning.

Harry blushed even redder. "He was trying to teach Scorpius to say, 'SSSsssahShhsss', which means 'the sun is warm on my rock'. What Scorpius actually said was a mixture of gibberish with an ass and bollocks thrown in there."

Draco blinked for a moment before bursting out laughing. "No wonder you looked so scandalized. My son can't say 'hello' in Parseltongue, but he can curse a blue streak in it." Draco wrapped his arms around his middle and dissolved into helpless giggles.

"Well, at least we know it can be taught." Harry muttered defensively.

He stopped laughing and straightened up, glancing at Harry curiously. "You really think Scorpius can learn to be a Parselmouth?"

Harry shrugged and sipped at his drink. "It's possible. All Parseltongue is are a bunch of hisses and sighs. Anyone can hear it and distinguish the sounds. The key, I guess, is knowing the right combinations."

Draco thought about that for a moment. "So, you're saying wizards could actually learn to be Parselmouths?"

"I don't see why not. It's just like any other language. Although, I suppose, true Parselmouths would still have to inherit the talent, but- I mean, if Ron can say something in Parseltongue than anyone can." He grinned wryly.

"Weasley's said something in Parseltongue?" Draco asked, intrigued.

"Mm." Harry nodded. "He opened the Chamber of Secrets during the Final Battle using Parseltongue."

Draco looked positively stunned. "Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets? He's the heir of Slytherin?"

He nearly spit his scotch out of his nose, he snorted in surprise so hard. "No! Ron's not the heir." He laughed wiping at the spilled alcohol on his chin with the back of his hand. "I thought you knew that. It was Ginny that opened the Chamber in second year while Voldemort possessed her. Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin. I thought everybody knew that." He frowned in bemusement.

Draco blushed and fiddled with his glass. "Well, now that you mention it, I do remember hearing something like that at the end of that year." He muttered, his cheeks tinted a light pink.

Shaking his head, Harry relaxed back in his seat again. "Anyway, I figure if Ron and get a Parselmouth keyed magical chamber open by hissing at it, Scorpius can learn to actually speak it."

They sat in silence for a moment until Lily skipped up to them and seated herself down in Draco's lap with Belle curled around her arm.

"Draco, did you see my new friend, Belle?" She asked with wide excited hazel eyes.

"I did." He smiled down at her and shifted her 'til she was sitting sideways so he could see her face. "She's very pretty. Did you pick her out all on your own?"

Lily nodded with a bright smile, then tilted her head toward the snake and hissed at it. Lifting her head, she giggled and looked back a Draco. "Belle said she thinks you're very pretty too."

Draco raised an eyebrow and flicked a questioning look at Harry who nodded his head with a grin. "She did." He told him. "She also wonders how you keep your hair so shiny."

Surprised into a chuckle, Draco stroked a hand over the snake and twirled a lock of Lily's hair around his finger. "You can tell Belle that my hair is naturally this shiny."

Lily grinned at him and began hissing as she leaned against Draco's chest comfortably.

Draco and Harry relaxed as the the kids played. They talked about everything and nothing, just enjoying the cool evening air and their children's laughter. It felt comfortable and right. Both men were loath to think about when Draco had to floo with Scorpius back to the Manor at the end of their visit.

Sitting curled up against Draco's chest, Lily hissed sleepily to Belle holding their own conversation.

_"I really like Draco, Belle."_ Lily hissed around a yawn. _"And Scorpius, and Miss Cissy and Mister Malfoy too. I wish they would come to live us so I can see them all the time."_

_"Why do you not all nest together?"_ Belle asked curiously. She did not understand human customs, at all.

"Mm." She hummed tiredly. _"Because they live at the Manor and we aren't family." _Lily responded sadly.

Belle seemed to think about that for a moment. _"Where is your mother, Fire Lily?"_

She frowned and curled tighter into Draco's chest turning her face into the soft material of his shirt. She could smell the clean scent of his soap and the dry spice of his cologne.

_"She left us. Mummy didn't want Daddy and me and Albus and James anymore, so she ran away with Angelo." _Lily explained sadly.

Belle snorted angrily. _"She is no mother, Fire Lily."_ She hissed harshly. _"She is a clutch leaver(_5_)! Slithering away before her hatchlings could even fend for themselves."_

Lily stared at her wide eyed. She'd never heard Belle sound so angry. It made the fact that her mum was gone even more real. Laying her head back down on Draco's shoulder she sighed, partly in sadness and partly in pleasure when he lifted a hand and began combing his fingers gently through her long wavy hair.

_"It's alright, Belle."_ She murmured and snuggled the snake closer to her chest. _"I don't really mind that she's gone anymore."_

Belle ceased her angry hissing and studied small her companion and the silver dragon she was curled up against. _"You know, Fire Lily, you can still have a mother."_

_"How?" _Lily asked curiously as she nuzzled the patch of bare skin that peaked out of the collar of Draco's button-up shirt.

_"If the Serpent Lord and the Dragon mated, he would be like your mother."_ Belle stated reasonably, as though that sentence made perfect sense.

The little girl frowned in confusion. _"What do you mean?"_

_"The Dragon,"_ Belle tilted her nose to indicate Draco, _"is an egg layer. If he and your father mated, he would have their hatchlings and the little Scorpion would be your brother."_ She tried to explain in serpent terms, not knowing human equivalents.

Lily's brow wrinkled again, then it smoothed out and she gave an "Oh!" of understanding. _"You mean if Draco and Daddy slept in the same bed like he and Mummy used to, then Draco would have a baby like Mummy did with me, and Scorpius would be our brother?"_

The snake nodded, relieved that Lily had understood. _"Yes. Then he would be your Mother Dragon."_

A speculative look flitted over Lily's face and she turned her head to look up, first at Draco who was laughing at something Harry had said, then at Harry who was grinning in equal mirth.

_"Do you think they like each other like that?"_ She asked her scaly friend.

Belle flicked her tongue out and tasted the air. _"It tastes like the Dragon is in heat."_ She answered, to which Lily just frowned not understanding and shrugged. _"But I cannot tell if he or the Serpent Lord want to mate."_

Lily hummed in thought after this then nodded resolutely to herself. _"That's okay. We will talk to James and Albus and see if they want Draco to be our mum. Then we can make a plan to get Daddy and Draco to fall in love." _She stated simply then returned to her curled position on Draco's chest and drifted off into a doze, listening to his voice rumble in his chest.

Draco and Harry, of course had no idea that their children were about to start plotting against them. All they knew was that, in each other's company, they were the happiest either of them had been in a long time.

* * *

(1,2,3,4) Pictures of what the Potter Children's Snakes look like are on a link found on my profile.

(5) Most Pythons, unlike most other snakes species, will actually stay with their egg-clutches after laying them until shortly after they hatch. Female Pythons will curl around the eggs and "shiver" to generate incubation heat. Usually they wont leave their clutches except to bask in the sun or drink water.

TBC...


	6. Chapter Six

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 4,919  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Six*****

Scorpius, Albus, Lily, James, Teddy, Belle, Tal, Mischief, Nova, and Stella all sat in a circle on fluffy cushions up in Scorpius's room with a bowl of candy, a tray of sweets, and a pitcher of pumpkin juice. Their parents and grandparents were downstairs drinking tea and talking about boring adult things while they began to plot.

"Why are we all up here?" Teddy asked while he played with Nova as the snake slithered over his hands. "Why don't we go outside and play in the gardens?"

Scorpius glanced at Albus and shrugged. "Lily said she had something to tell us."

"Well, what is it Lily?" James asked where he was sprawled against a round embroidered cushion with Mischief curled on his belly.

Lily glanced down at Belle and the snake gave her a nudge under the chin with her nose. _i"Go on, Fire Lily."/i_

"Well," she began slowly, nervously. "Me and Belle were talking the other night and she said that if Daddy and Draco fell in love then they would -um- mate and Draco would be our mum and Scorpius would be our brother."

This was met with stunned silence. All the boys looked at her with varying degrees of surprise and incredulity. Finally, James spoke up.

"Draco can't be our mum. He's a boy like Dad." He said obviously caught up on that part of her explanation.

She huffed in agitation and pushed at his leg irritatedly. "I know that stupid, but Belle said that he was a -um- egg layer." She blushed, suddenly realizing that it didn't really translate from Parseltongue to English with the same meaning.

Teddy frowned and snorted in confusion. "What?"

_"Belle's right, little Chameleon."_ Stella hissed at him from around his neck. _"The Dragon tastes of warmth and comfort, like all clutch mothers."_

Teddy just looked at the snake blankly while James sat up and stared at her in surprise. _"What?"_ He hissed at the little snake.

_"The Dragon, my Dog Star."_ Mischief hissed from her place on his stomach. _"He can bear young, like any mother in the Wild Kingdom."_

_"Seriously?"_ He asked bemused.

"What are you talking about?" Scorpius asked quietly from where he sat with Albus and Tal.

Albus looked at his friend warily before answering. "The snakes are saying that your dad can have babies."

"Oh." He blushed and glanced down at the snake curled in his lap. It was watching him intently. He looked up and rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. "Um... He can."

That was met with more stunned silence and an excited squeal from Lily. "Really?" She gasped.

"Yeah." He breathed, shrugging uncomfortably. "When I turned five, Dad took me to the Healer to check if I was a -um- Matris, I think they're called. He said that they ran in the family, but that there hadn't been one for like three hundred years or something. But then my dad was one so they checked to see if I was one too."

James and Teddy just stared at him, mouths open, completely shocked.

"Are you a -uh- Matris?" Albus asked tentatively.

Scorpius gave him a small smile and shook his head. "No. Just my dad."

"So, your dad can really have babies?" Teddy asked after he'd picked his jaw up off the floor.

Scorpius shrugged. "I guess, but after he and my mother divorced he hasn't really liked anyone like that, so..." He trailed off.

"Wow." James breathed. "That's kinda cool."

Albus nodded in agreement causing Scorpius to sag in relief.

"I think we should get Draco and Daddy to fall in love." Lily announced with determination. The boys all looked at her in shock, but she continued, seeming not to notice.

"If they fall in love then Scorpius can be our brother too, and Draco can be our Mummy, or our second Daddy, and then we can have more brothers and sisters and we could all be a family!" She exclaimed, trying to explain herself and hoping fervently that the boys wanted this as much as she did.

The boys sat in silence for a time looking at one another. To James and Albus it hadn't seemed like they'd been a real family for a long time. Their mum had always been gone or bringing Angelo over when their dad wasn't there, and he was always away on a business trip. It hadn't felt like they'd had two parents since Lily was little.

And they really liked Draco. He was nice and funny and teased them and didn't mind helping when they asked.

Would it be so bad if he and their dad fell in love?

Teddy was of the same mind set. He wasn't blind to the fact that there seemed to be some sort of history between his grandma and Missus Malfoy, but that didn't keep her or Draco from being nice to him.

And he hadn't seen Harry look so happy as when he was with Draco. Before, when he was with Aunt Ginny, he smiled and laughed, but it wasn't loudly and his smiles didn't really ever reach his eyes. Harry hadn't been really happy for a long time.

Draco made him smile though, and laugh.

Scorpius looked down at the snake in his lap and felt the sharp pang of longing in his chest. He'd wanted siblings for so long and now he might just get them. But it wasn't just brothers and a sister he would be getting, it would be another father as well: Harry.

He thought about Harry. He was cool and smart and funny. He knew everything about Quidditch and catching bad guys. And he made his dad laugh.

He wasn't fool enough to believe that either of his parents had loved each other when they were married, but that just meant he could tell that his dad wasn't as happy as he should be. His dad loved him, Scorpius was in no doubt about that, but he could be happier.

"I think we should do it." He said without even realizing he'd spoken until he heard his own voice.

"What?" Albus asked a little surprised to have the silence broken.

"We should help get them together." Scorpius explained looking from one kid to the next. "Dad and Harry are happy together, right? And I like Harry and you guys like my dad." He said. "I want to be in a family with you all. I think it would be great."

Albus smiled brightly at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Me too. They make each other happy. We can all see that. And we want to stay together, so what do we have to do to make that happen?" He asked determinedly.

"We make a plan." Teddy answered grinning mischievously "We make a plan that will help them fall in love."

"How do we do that?" James asked sitting up again, brow furrowed in concentration and eyes bright with excitement.

"We have to get them to spend more time together." Lily exclaimed, bouncing on her knees eagerly.

"Yeah, but how do we do that?" Albus asked.

Scorpius frowned in thought before breaking into a smile and leaning forward. "I've got an idea. Here's what we need to do..."

And they began to plot.

* * *

Harry shook himself to attention and sipped at his tea to cover up his momentary lapse. That was the third time he'd caught himself staring at Draco. He couldn't seem to make himself stop.

The tilt of his head, the way he absently tucked a lock of silvery hair behind his ear, the smirking glint in those bottomless gray eyes. They all just kept distracting him. And it didn't seem that he minded all that much.

He frowned at that realization.

"Harry, are you alright?" Narcissa asked concernedly.

"Hm?" He glanced up and focused on her. "Oh, yes. I'm fine, just getting a little tired I suppose. I'm used to going to bed when the kids do now." He grinned at her.

Narcissa chuckled and tilted her head toward her son. "Draco is the exact same way. I'll find him nodding off at nine thirty on the settee if I don't remind him to head up to bed."

"Don't make me sound like the old man of the house, Mother." Draco drawled at her, seeming completely unconcerned that his mother had divulged something potentially embarrassing about him. "You know very well that Father is the one that really must take his afternoon nap or he'll be horribly cranky by dinner time." He finished with a mischievous smirk at his father.

"I'll thank you not to tell such lies about your own father, Draco." Lucius replied dryly as he sipped at his brandy and crossed his legs in his plushy winged back chair. "I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it." He drawled quite casually indeed.

Harry suddenly found himself afflicted with a coughing fit to cover up the surprised laughter that wanted to burst forth at Draco's satisfied grin in response.

If anyone had told him ten years ago that he'd be sitting in the Malfoys' family room listening to Lucius and Draco Malfoy tease each other, Harry would have gone ahead and put them out of their misery.

But here he was, being granted the privilege of seeing the Malfoys at ease and relaxed. It was really nice, he thought. He felt honored to witness it.

"I guess I need to get the kids back and put them to bed." He sighed rather unhappily, feeling quite reluctant to end his visit with Draco. "It's passed their bed time as it is."

Draco smiled understandingly at him, but had to tamp down the surging of disappointment. "Come along, then. I'll help you collect the little heathens."

Two floors above them, Scorpius was giving his last instructions to Shotzy the house-elf. "Now, you know what to do?" He asked.

"Yes, Master Scorpius. Shotzy knows what he is to be doing, sir." The house-elf squeaked importantly.

"Good." Scorpius grinned at Albus then glanced at the door where James and Teddy were keeping a lookout. "How are we doing?" He called to them.

James hissed something to Nova who had been stationed at the top of the stairs. After receiving an answer he looked back over his shoulder. "They're coming up the stairs to take us back home."

Lily gasped and busied herself with making it look like they'd been playing a wizarding boardgame instead of plotting their parent's down fall into love while James and Teddy retreated from the door with their snakes and flung themselves into their original spots in the circle.

"Okay, Shotzy hurry! And remember don't permanently break the floo, just make sure it doesn't work for tonight." Scorpius reminded as he and Albus scurried to their cushions and made themselves comfortable. He was fully aware of just how over ambitious house-elves could get when they were on a mission.

"Yes, Master." The elf squeaked and disappeared right as the door opened.

Immediately, the kids all made exclaiming unintelligible sounds trying to make it seem like someone was losing and someone was winning the game in front of them.

"Hey, ducklings." Draco greeted as he stepped into Scorpius's sitting room followed closely by Harry. "It's time for you to head home."

They all groaned in protest.

"But I want to stay!" Exclaimed Lily as she pouted petulantly.

Draco chuckled and bent down to lift her into his arms. "I know, Lily-flower, but it's passed your bed time."

"Nah, Dad. Can't we stay?" James whined as he looked up at his father with pleading eyes.

Harry just chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, James. It's time to go. Put up the game and let's head downstairs." He instructed. "Who was winning anyway?"

All the boys paused and stared at one another with wide eyes. "Uh... Lily." Teddy supplied when no one seemed able to think of anything to say. They hadn't even looked at what game they were supposed to be playing.

Draco frowned at the kids' odd behavior. "Really? Lily was beating all of you at Magical Trivial Pursuits Genius?"

"Yep!" Lily grinned, then lifted Belle toward Draco in explanation. "Belle was helping me." She was better at fibbing than the boys were.

"Is that so?" Draco smirked wryly then stroked a finger over Belle's head. "She must be really clever."

Lily just smiled widely and hummed. "Mhm."

Teddy, James, Albus, and Scorpius all traded meaningful looks as they put away the game without further mishap.

Downstairs in the floo room an unseen house-elf twitched one brick in the fireplace out of its slot and stashed it in a bread box in the kitchens.

"Alright." Harry sighed as he lifted Lily into his arms and prepared to floo home to Grimmauld Place. He couldn't help, but feel reluctant to leave, himself. "Say goodnight."

He stepped into the hearth with Lily on his hip and Albus at his side. He threw down a pinch of floo powder and called, "12 Grimmauld Place". A great flash of green flame went up and engulfed them. He shut his eyes out of habit, but that jolting rushing feeling never came.

Peaking his eyes open, he found himself still in the Malfoy floo.

"What happened?" He asked perplexed.

Draco scowled in confusion. "I don't know. The floo just didn't work."

Neither of them noticed the boys shooting victorious looks at one another.

Harry, Albus, and Lily stepped out of the floo. "Why didn't it work?"

"I don't know." Draco repeated. "It has always worked before." He pulled his wand out and shot a half a dozen diagnostic spells at the hearth.

Lowering his wand, he frowned. "The spells and enchantments seem to be working. I wonder what's wrong with it."

Scorpius and Albus grinned covertly at each other and James and Teddy smirked at a silently giggling Lily.

"Draco, dear, is there something the matter?" Narcissa asked, sticking her head into the floo room.

"The floo's broken." He answered bemusedly.

She jolted back in surprise. "It's what, dear?"

"Broken, Narcissa." Harry repeated sounding just as surprised. "It worked fine this morning, but just now it wouldn't send us home."

"Oh dear." She placed a hand at her mouth in shock. "Let's get your father."

Five minutes later, Lucius joined them in the floo room and cast every spell he knew at the fireplace to no avail. "This is unacceptable." He blustered coldly. "This is why we keep house-elves, so that things like this don't happen. Shotzy!" He bellowed for the house-elf who was specifically in charge of all of the Manor fireplaces.

The little elf popped into being directly in front of Lucius and shot a quick unseen glance a Scorpius. "Yes, Master Malfoy?" He squeaked, trying not to sound guilty.

"This floo is broken. Fix it." He snapped at the quivering creature. He may have mellowed in his old age, but he could still instill fear in every house-elf they owned.

"Oh! Yes, Master." Shotzy whimpered before quickly scrambled up into the fireplace and disappearing.

Scorpius shot a panicked look at Albus. He hadn't counted on his grandfather being there. It was unheard of for a house-elf to disobey him.

There was some banging, a loud rattle, an ear spilling squeal of surprise, and a small avalanche of soot before the house-elf reappeared, his once pristine pillowcase smudged with dirt.

"Shotzy is sorry, Master Malfoy." He squeaked apprehensively, flicking a quick glance at Scorpius's silently pleading face. "But the floo is being broken until the morning, sir." He cringed waiting for his punishment.

Narcissa, who'd been watching everything quietly from just behind her husband was the only one who saw the looks the elf had been giving her grandson and in turn, the looks the children had been giving each other.

If she didn't know any better, she'd think this whole thing was being engineered. She felt a small amused smile twist at her lips as she caught Scorpius flash a grateful look at Shotzy. Then again, maybe it was.

Lucius puffed up indignantly. "What do you mean it can't be fixed?" He snarled. Really, there was nothing that could try his patience as much as a house-elf; any house-elf.

Stepping forward, Narcissa placed a calming hand on her husband's arm. "Now, Lucius darling. There's really no reason to fuss. These things happen. I'm sure Shotzy will do his best to repair the floo as quickly as he can. The Manor is a very old house after all, and it's to be expected that things will need fixing every once in a while."

Shotzy almost wet himself with gratefulness while the children were busy shooting meaningful looks at each other. Harry and Draco didn't really know what to do.

"Now," Narcissa smiled mildly at everyone. "The Manor is large enough that everyone should be able to stay the night comfortably until the floo is in working order."

"Oh, that's alright." Harry stammered into action once again. "I can apparate everyone home. There's really no reason to go to all that trouble."

"Don't be dense, Harry." Draco huffed. "There are anti-apparation wards around the Manor. You can't apparate out, much less with four children attached to you."

Narcissa nodded and hummed in agreement. "Draco's quite right, dear. There are plenty of guest rooms for you and the children to stay in."

Lucius was busy studying his wife in puzzlement. He knew that look in her eyes. It meant she knew something no one else did. Life was about to become a lot more interesting, he could tell.

"You are not going to win against Narcissa and Draco together, Mister Potter." He drawled, catching a keen, pleased look from his wife. "It is better to admit defeat and suffer accordingly."

Narcissa chuckled and waved dismissively. "I hardly think there will be any suffering going on, darling."

In the end, Harry caved and agreed to spend the night at the Manor, much to the children's delight. Draco took it upon himself to lead the way out of the floo room and up to the third floor where all the sleeping quarters were located.

Neither him nor Harry saw the discreet high-fives the children exchanged, nor the handful of Chocoballs Scorpius secreted to Shotzy as he passed the elf on his way out of the room.

But Lucius and Narcissa did.

Up two stories, everyone was trying to decide where to sleep. Scorpius helpfully offered to share with Albus while Teddy and James volunteered to bunk together. Lily, of course claimed that as a young lady, like Miss Cissy says, she must be allowed her own room.

Harry rolled his eyes at that, thinking that it might not be such a good idea to let his daughter spend so much time with Narcissa after all. Draco just smirked in amusement.

"Then you shall have your own room, Miss Lily." He declared making her grin happily up at him.

They were just about to debate which room Harry should sleep in when Tipsy appeared with some rather unexpected news.

"Tipsy is sorry, Masters, Mistress," she curtsied warily, "but there is no more rooms available for Mister Harry Potter, sir."

Draco frowned in surprise. "Why ever not?"

Tipsy shifted nervously from one foot to the other, shooting a glance at Narcissa and Lucius who were looking on with varying degrees of amusement and curiosity. "Tipsy is sorry, Master, but Tipsy was not knowing that guests would be needing to sleep here, sir, and Tipsy was beginning to wax the floors."

Lucius raised an incredulous eyebrow at his wife only to be shushed discreetly and motioned to continue observing.

There was some disbelief and exclamations of frustration, but sure enough, after nearly all of the remaining guestrooms were checked, they found all the furniture covered in white drop-cloths and levitated above shiny, wet, freshly waxed floors.

"Well, Potter." Draco sighed after closing the door on yet another uninhabitable guestroom. "It seems like you're bunking with me."

"What?" Harry stuttered in surprise, feeling a sudden flip in his belly and a heating in his face.

"Don't worry about it." Draco waved him off casually. "My bed is big enough for five and I promise not to kick." Then he actually looked at Harry and raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Do you have a problem with sharing?" He asked, feeling rather petulant at the thought that Harry might indeed have a problem with sharing a bed with him.

"Oh! No!" Harry protested awkwardly. "It's just... It's been a while since I shared a bed with anyone." He said truthfully enough, but the real reason for his nervousness was not the prospect of sleeping next to someone after such a long while of sleeping alone, it was that he wasn't quite sure he liked how his body thrummed at the thought of sleeping next to _Draco_.

Draco's expression softened and he rested a reassuring hand on Harry's arm. "I understand, Harry." He murmured, then grinned. "Don't worry, I promise not to crowd you if you promise not to hog the covers."

That broke a chuckle out of him and he nodded in agreement. This wouldn't be so bad, he thought as they got the kids ready for bed. He just needed to not remember how he found Draco an inordinately beautiful, charming man and everything would be alright.

With the kids finally settled into the only two un-waxed guestrooms, Harry and Draco retreated into his room.

"Here," Draco said after he handed Harry a set of forest green silk pajamas. "You can borrow these and there should be a spare toothbrush in the bathroom."

Harry smiled in thanks and took the pajamas into the bathroom to get ready.

It was an enormously opulent bathroom, Harry had to say. All marble tile and dragon head faucets and a bathtub that could float a battle ship. The shower wasn't shabby either with water jets in the walls and a massive shower-head that hung from the ceiling to spray the water like rain. Harry wanted the whole bathroom for his own master bath.

He quickly changed into his borrowed pajamas and immediately appreciated the way the silk felt against his skin. Maybe he'd buy himself a pair next time he went shopping. Laughing quietly at that thought, he stepped up to one of the his and her sinks and unwrapped his brand new toothbrush.

As he brushed his teeth, he lectured himself on how the night was going to go. He was going to walk into the bedroom, crawl into that excessively huge bed, say goodnight and try not to think about Draco laying mere feet away from him. Sighing, he thought that was going to be harder than it sounded.

It was nothing new to him that Draco was attractive. He'd always been attractive, even as a pointy faced prat. He'd had a lean muscular body and impeccable appearance. Now, though, he'd grown into his features and filled out in a way that took him from attractive to beautiful.

Harry chuckled to himself slightly hysterically as he rinsed his mouth out. Since when had Draco Malfoy become beautiful to him?

Since you noticed how his eyes laughed when he found something funny. Since you began watching his fingers when they tucked stray locks of hair behind his ears. Since he became your friend. Since he treated your children as if they were his own.

He sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.

And it just got harder when he stepped out of the bathroom to the sight of Draco pulling his own gunmetal gray pajama pants up over his bottom, his torso still bare. His breath caught in his chest and he tried not to gasp.

Draco glanced over his shoulder and smiled absently at him, the muscles of his back shifting as he leaned over and snagged his pajama top off the bed.

"Find everything alright?" He asked, the thought of how good that shade of green looked on Harry flitting through his mind before he pushed it away and pulled on his top.

Clearing his throat, Harry stepped toward the other side of the bed. "Yeah, thanks. Your bathroom is amazing."

Draco grinned at him in satisfaction. "I know, isn't it? I had it remodeled after I kicked Astoria out. She had it fucking pink, for God's sake." He scrunched his nose in distaste and climbed under the covers.

Harry chuckled at the look on his face and climbed into bed on the other side. "Well, I wish my bathroom looked like that."

"It's too luxurious for you, Harry." Draco scoffed teasingly. "You wouldn't be able to appreciate the sheer amount of comfort it affords."

"Whatever, prat." Harry chuckled before turning on his side to face him. "Thanks for letting us stay, Draco."

Draco turned to face him as well and smiled at him in the dark. "No problem, Harry. You're all welcome to stay anytime you want. Besides," he shrugged and grinned, "I couldn't very well let the children sleep on the floor in the floo room for the night. You, though, that's debatable."

Snorting in mock indignation, Harry reached over and playfully pushed at Draco's shoulder. "Shut up, you. You're glad we stayed."

Draco chuckled and grasped Harry's hand before he pulled it away and squeezed it. "Yeah, I am." He admitted softly, a smile in his voice. "Goodnight, Harry."

Feeling his heart do a little loop in his chest, Harry squeezed Draco's hand in return before pulling away and murmuring, "Goodnight, Draco." He smiled, happy and relaxed before closing his eyes.

* * *

Down the hall, Lucius wrapped his arms around his wife as she rolled toward him in the dark and snuggled against his chest.

"Narcissa, why am I not punishing incompetent house-elves?" He asked rather blandly.

"Because, love, our grandson is plotting something." She answered, a smug smile in her voice.

"And how, my dear, have you come to this conclusion?" He inquired dryly.

"You can't tell me you didn't see the way the children were celebrating when the floo mysteriously broke, or how Scorpius bribed Shotzy." Narcissa stated incredulously.

"Yes," Lucius drawled sardonically. "My grandson, bribing house-elves to lie to me. I'm so very proud."

"Oh tosh!" She pinched his side in punishment. "The poor thing was just following along with what Scorpius told him to do. I assume Tipsy was one of the conspirators as well considering the floors aren't due to be waxed until next month."

"Mm. I noticed that as well." Lucius hummed. "And I suppose you've figured out what all this subterfuge is supposed to accomplish?" He asked, sounding reluctantly amused.

"Don't act like you haven't figured it out either." Narcissa scolded him lightly, but wrapped her arms around his chest and made herself more comfortable. "Really, I'm surprised Draco and Harry haven't picked up on it."

Lucius snorted. "Potter I can see not knowing deviousness when it's right under his nose, but Draco astonishes me. It's not like the children were being particularly subtle."

Narcissa hummed in delight and placed a light kiss to her husband's chest. "I think it's sweet."

"Sweet?" He scoffed in disgust. "It's sweet that our grandson is trying to make Draco fall in love with Potter? Yes," he sneered, "how very _sweet_."

Narcissa just rolled her eyes. "You know Draco hasn't been really happy for a long while, Lucius. I'd be overjoyed if a hippogriff made our son smile and laugh the way Harry does."

He just made vaguely agreeing noises in his throat and stared into the darkness.

"It is ironic," Lucius began after a time, "that they should dislike each other so ardently, fight against each other so viciously when they were children only to grow up, have children of their own and fall in love with one another."

"Hm, yes." Narcissa agreed, squeezing her husband lovingly. "It's very romantic."

Rolling his eyes, Lucius shifted until Narcissa had rolled over and he pressed against her back, one arm wrapped around her waist, spooning her closely. He nuzzled his nose into her sweet, flowery smelling hair and sighed. "You would think such a ridiculous thing was romantic, Narcissa."

She just chuckled and hugged his arm around her middle. "You think it's romantic too, my dear. Don't try to deny it."

He just grunted then kissed the side of her neck, drawling meaningfully, "Goodnight, Narcissa."

His wife just hummed contentedly and sighed. "Goodnight, my love."

Yes, Lucius decided. Life was going to become a lot more interesting.

TBC...


	7. Chapter Seven

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 4,504  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Seven*****

Harry came to awareness slowly. It started with the sound of peacocks calling outside, then it shifted to a feeling of warmth and contentment, and ended with his eyes peaking open to the gray light of early morning filtering through Draco's windows.

_Draco_. That thought brought with it the feeling of warm weight on his chest and across his thighs. Blinking his eyes into clarity, Harry glanced down to discover that the warm weight was covered in silvery blond hair.

Sometime in the night, Draco had rolled to Harry's side of the bed and sprawled over his chest, laying his head on Harry's shoulder and flinging a leg over his thighs.

Breath caught in Harry's throat as something in his gut stirred and he examined his position a little bit closer. He had an arm wrapped around Draco's back holding him in place and the other arm draped over Draco's that was curled over Harry's chest. It felt warm and comfortable and right, and Harry was afraid of what Draco would do when he woke up.

"Quit moving around so much, Potter. I'm trying to sleep." Draco murmured against his shoulder. Harry could feel the vibrations from where Draco's chest was pressed against his.

Immediately, he paused and held his breath.

The blond snorted in amusement and curled closer around him. "I said stop moving, not stop breathing." He drawled, voice roughened by sleep.

Harry felt himself melt in relief. "Oh, so sorry to wake you, then." He apologized insincerely.

"No, you're not." Draco pouted, eyes still steadfastly closed to the morning light. "You did it on purpose."

Harry chuckled quietly at his petulance, then asked, "Do you wake up wrapped around everyone you share a bed with, Draco?"

Giving up on getting more sleep, Draco cracked his eyes open and lifted his head enough to meet Harry's gaze. "Nope, you're the first. Then again I haven't shared with anyone recently except Scorpius and with him I'm usually beaten to the very edge of the bed by razor sharp little knees and elbows."

Harry laughed at that and nodded, knowing exactly how Draco felt. "So, this is a first for you?" He asked, sounding rather wistful even to his own ears.

Draco studied his face intently for a moment before smiling absently. "Yeah, but it's a nice first." He laid his head back down to Harry's shoulder and shifted closer. "I haven't slept this well in a very long time."

Sighing, Harry tightened his hold on Draco for a moment before loosening it again and tilting his head just enough to be able to smell the other man's shampoo. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind waking up like this again either."

"Mm." Draco hummed, feeling a pleased warmth blossom in his chest. "You are surprisingly comfy, Harry."

Closing his eyes to savor the feeling, a feeling he hadn't felt in such a very long time, Harry smiled. "You're not so bad yourself, Draco." He stroked a tentative hand up Draco's back and back down to his waist again. "Not bad at all."

Down the hall the five Potter and Malfoy children had their heads peaked out, watching intently as Stella hissed information to them from under Draco's bedroom door.

"She says they're cuddling." Albus whispered excitedly, his hand unconsciously seeking Scorpius's. The other children all shifted eagerly.

Another line of hissing as Stella pulled her head out again before sticking it back under. "She says she can't understand what they're saying, but the air tastes of..." he frowned trying to think of how to translate so that Teddy and Scorpius would understand, "of contentment and happiness? Yeah, that's it."

"I can't believe it's actually working." Teddy confessed shifting from foot to foot as he leaned over Lily to watch his snake down the hall.

"What I can't believe is that you children are actually spying on your fathers." Drawled a darkly amused voice from the other end of the hall.

They all jumped and snapped their heads around to see Lucius standing there with a mildly disapproving eyebrow raised, fully dressed and arms crossed sternly over his chest.

"Grandpa!" Scorpius squeaked in equal parts surprise and trepidation.

"I will give you all credit for gumption and neither I nor your grandmother will let on of your little machinations," he said, "but I draw the line at spying on your fathers. No matter how inventive and cleverly it's done." He tilted his head toward the small snake watching the confrontation intently from the bottom of Draco's bedroom door.

"Call the snake back and get ready for breakfast." Lucius instructed, feeling no need to relieve the children of their fear of punishment just yet. He'd said their fathers wouldn't be told, but he'd never said he wouldn't punish them in their stead.

Stella was called and as she hurriedly slithered up Teddy's body to rest with her brother around his neck, Scorpius tentatively asked, "Grandpa, are we in trouble?" The other children looked just as frightened as he did.

Of course, Lucius found it rather amusing that Potter's children didn't seem to realize that he had no real authority over them, but he felt he oughtn't disabuse them of that illusion just yet.

"No, Scorpius. You're not in trouble." He assured them, voice softening. "I will, however, request that when you wish to use the house-elves in your schemes, you inform me ahead of time. Especially if something is to mysteriously cease functioning as part of those schemes."

He gave them one last hard look before turning on his heel and striding down the steps to meet his wife in the breakfast room.

The kids stood rather stunned for a moment.

"Scorpius, your grandfather is kind of scary." Teddy breathed, running a soothing hand over his agitated snakes.

"Yeah, Scor." Albus shivered. "I thought we were goners there for a minute."

Scorpius just snorted. "You thought that was scary? Try being here when my grandmother gets angry. Not even my grandfather sticks around for that."

The other kids stared at him in abject horror until they shook themselves of it and filed back into Scorpius's room to get ready for breakfast.

Soon, they were all seated in the breakfast room with Lucius and Narcissa, piling their plates high with sausages, waffles, pancakes, and eggs. It seemed plotting works up an appetite.

Once the children were happily settled, Narcissa ran smiling eyes over them all before inquiring, quite mildly, "Now, dears, what did your forays into espionage uncover about your fathers?"

"Narcissa!" Lucius scolded while the children all paused in their eating to stare at her wide eyed. "I just finished scolding them for invading their fathers' privacy and here you are, woman, encouraging them."

"Oh tosh, Lucius." She waved him off. "You know as well as I do that you would have done the exact same thing. Now, be quiet and allow me to indulge my curiosity."

Lucius grunted, sounding thoroughly displeased, but turned back to his morning tea, seeming to try and ignore the whole conversation.

"Now," Narcissa turned her attention on the very unsubtly amused children. "You know, it's very impolite to eavesdrop, children, but for curiosity sake, what did you overhear?"

They remained somewhat stunned, until Teddy suddenly broke into a mischievous grin. "'Do as I say not as I do', eh, Miss Cissy?" He drawled earning a smattering of giggles from his partners in crime and an amused smirk from Lucius.

Narcissa reddened a bit before she scowled. "You hold your tongue, Theodore Remus Lupin. I'm not above bending you over my knee if you deserve it, young man."

That only earned her a chorus of laughter from the children and a quiet chuckle from Lucius.

Of course, he smothered it the moment she turned her highly put out scowl on him. He had no wish to focus his wife's ire on himself. The children held immunity by age and dearness alone. He, on the other hand, had no such advantage. After so many years of marriage, a husband learned to be justifiably afraid of his wife.

And this was the scene Draco and Harry walked in on when they finally dragged themselves away from the comfort of Draco's bed and consequently -surprising- happily each other's arms. The kids were laughing themselves silly while Narcissa glared and scowled at her wary looking husband.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked as he stepped into the room then frowned as the laughter suddenly stopped and his parents schooled their features to pleasantly bland.

"Did you both sleep well?" Narcissa asked instead of answering, her suspiciously serene smile tacked steadily in place.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her, but Harry blushed and answered before he could pursue everyone's strange behavior.

"Yes, thank you." Harry said feeling like his face was ten shades of red by now. "It was very restful."

Narcissa frowned concernedly. "Draco didn't keep you up, I hope. I remember he used to be an appallingly active sleeper as a child. All arms and legs everywhere."

Harry chuckled over Draco's annoyed exclamation of "Mother!". "No, Narcissa. Draco was a rather considerate bed-mate."

He heard Lucius mutter something that sounded suspicious close to "I'll bet", but shook it off and took one of the only two empty seats right next to each other. He began filling his plate with food and let the renewed ebb of voices sooth his frazzled mind.

Waking up with Draco in his arms had been scarily pleasant. Continuing to cuddle with him while they flirted with each other had been, in hind sight, positively frightening. He hadn't felt that contented since the early years with Ginny when everything was still new and exciting. He hadn't felt that happy in a long time.

And that was what scared him. Even with Ginny he hadn't felt quite like this. It was powerful and heady, and something that he wasn't quite sure he was ready for.

He glanced over to the seat next to him where Draco sat. Their eyes met and Draco's reflected understanding and agreement.

This was moving a little too fast for them. Just a little too fast. Neither of them were ready yet to discover what this could be.

Nobody else at the table noticed their silent communication, save for Lucius. He had spent a good portion of his life noticing what other people didn't as a matter of survival and knew what his son and Potter had just agreed upon.

It was a good start, he reflected thinking of the children's efforts, but not enough.

He glanced toward his wife to find her in a rather impassioned conversation with the little Lily about the little girl's snake and decided to keep his own council for the time being. There will be time enough to discuss their son's potential love life, but for now the matter will rest.

When breakfast had been cleared away and the children were looking mightily pleased with themselves, Lucius called for Shotzy.

"Yes, Master Lucius." The house-elf squeaked respectfully.

"Is the floo repaired?" He asked coolly

"Yes, Master, it is working, sir." Shotzy nodded, his ears bouncing. "Shotzy fixed it this morning."

He raised a knowing eyebrow at the elf, but nodded. "Very good. Well, Mister Potter," he drawled standing from his seat at the head of the table, "shall we send you and the children on your way?"

The whole group paraded into the floo room once more, the children triumphantly content, Narcissa and Lucius amused and calm, Harry and Draco quiet and detached.

As the children said their goodbyes and whispered conspiratorially of their success, the adults prepared for departure in a more sedate manner. Lucius and Narcissa bid them farewell then retreated to their separate morning tasks leaving Draco and Harry to stare at one another with blank expressions of mutual fear and longing.

Finally, Harry had them all situated in the fireplace, him, Lily, Albus, James, and Teddy. He looked back at Draco and Scorpius one more time before he dropped the floo powder and called out their destination. He'd never forget the feeling of leaving behind two pieces of himself as the flurry of green flames whisked them away.

* * *

Days later Harry sat at the picnic table in the back yard of the Burrow snapping green beans with Molly while they watched the children run and chase each other in the field behind the house.

It was Molly's habitual day to watch all of her grandchildren and give their parents a break. Harry had made a point of joining her on these days seeing as his kids still felt uneasy about him spending long periods of time away from them and leaving them at the Burrow.

This was one of Molly's favorite days because it usually brought all of her thirteen grandchildren together and gave her an excuse to cook food for more than just her and Arthur.

There was Victoire, Dominique, and Louis, Bill and Fleur's children. Then Little Molly and Lucy, Percy and Audrey's girls. And young Fred and Roxanne, George and Angelina's kids. Rose and Hugo, Ron and Hermione's little mischief makers. And, of course, Harry and Ginny's children, James, Albus, Lily, and Teddy.

Molly sighed sadly as she watched the children play. She supposed they weren't really her Ginny's babies anymore. They were more Harry's now than they'd ever been Ginny's. And Teddy had always been his godfather's pride and joy.

That was something else Molly was heartily ashamed of in her daughter. That she never accepted and loved Teddy as she should have, as Harry had.

Shaking herself from her maudlin thoughts, she picked up another handful of green beans and continued to snap them into a ready bowl on the picnic table in front of her. She glanced over at Harry, who was snapping just as practiced as she was, and was glad for the help. She enjoyed that he came and stayed to help her look after all those children.

"How have you been, dear?" She asked him, tucking a stray curl of red hair away before returning to her snapping.

He flicked his eyes toward her and smiled at her absently. "I've been alright, Molly. Did the kids tell you about their new pets?"

She scowled and pursed her lips in disapproval causing him to laugh. "Yes, snakes. Really, Harry, are you sure that was a wise decision?"

He just chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "They love those snakes. They can't do much and don't make much mess. Besides, it helps that the kids can actually talk to them and tell them not do things they aren't supposed to.

Molly looked at him shrewdly for a moment. "So they are Parselmouths, then?" She inquired neutrally. "When exactly were you going to tell everyone, Harry?"

He cringed at that and hunched his shoulders, focusing a bit more attention than necessary on snapping the beans. "'M sorry, Molly. I didn't really want anyone to know. When everyone found out about me, it was like I was going to be the next Lord Voldemort at the age of twelve. I didn't want that for them."

She sighed and placed a warm weathered hand over his. "We're your family, Harry. And their family. We don't care if you all can talk to snakes. We just care if you're happy."

A lump formed in his throat at hearing her words and he leaned over to lay his head on her strong shoulder for a moment before straightening up again. "Thanks Molly. Even though I know it, sometimes I just need to be reminded."

Smiling motherly at him, she stroked a green stained hand over his cheek and hair. "Anytime, dear. I don't mind reminding you."

He grinned at her and they both returned to their snapping, but Molly continued watching him from out of the corner of her eye. It was because of this that she observed when his easy expression melted into one troubled and melancholy.

"Is there something wrong, Harry?" She asked, her brows pinched worriedly.

His mouth twitched and he looked as though he was about to deny it, but then his expression crumbled and he slowly nodded his head.

"What is it, dear?" Molly asked, her voice pitched high with concern. "Is there a problem with the children?"

A mirthless chuckle slipped out of him as he shook his head. "No, the children are fine." Or as fine as they can be, but he didn't say that out loud.

"Well, then what's the matter?" She urged him on with her kind bright brown eyes.

Harry thought about how to answer her. He knew he should talk about it with someone and he knew that he could trust Molly to be honest and set him to rights should he tarry. The only thing he worried about when confiding in Molly was how she would react to the mention of Draco Malfoy.

"Is it-... Do you think-... How quickly should one move one after a -um- divorce?" He finally asked, hoping he hadn't offended her.

Molly blinked at him in surprise for a moment before she cleared it away and thought about how to answer him. "Dear, are you worried that you've gotten over your separation with Ginny too quickly?"

"Well, kind of, yeah." He shrugged and began idly tearing at a green bean with his thumbnail. "I know it sounds horrible, but Ginny and I hadn't really been husband and wife for while before she -um- left." He mumbled, peaking worried looks at his adoptive mother.

"Oh." She shifted, her brow wrinkling a little in sadness. "Well, dear, everyone heals and grows at different paces. If you're ready to move on from Ginny, then you're just ready. There's no right or wrong time about it." She told him kindly.

Harry watched her as she spoke and thought about her words. "But what if there might be someone else?" He mumbled slowly.

At this, Molly leaned back to get a better look at her son's reddening cheeks and his hunched posture. "Are you interested in someone, Harry?" She asked, trying to get down to the bottom of his troubled frown.

He felt distinctly uncomfortable now, but knew he needed to talk to someone about it. He sure as hell wasn't making any sense of it by himself. "Yeah," he nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think there might be."

A distinct sadness leaked into Molly's chest, but it was tempered by the thought of Harry once again being happy. "That's wonderful, dear. I'm happy for you. Have you known her long?"

An awkward cough slipped from his lips before he could stop it. "Uh- yeah. Since Hogwarts actually." He said then paused and shook his head as if ridding himself of a hindering layer. "I've known _him _since Hogwarts." He rephrased.

Molly wasn't sure she'd heard him right, so she just stared for a moment until his nervous eyes snapped her out of her surprise. "Him, dear?" She asked rather weakly.

He nodded and gave her a sad rueful smile. "Yeah."

"Oh. Well." She struggled for something to say. "Have you always -liked- men as well, then?" She finally asked.

Harry gave a slightly relieved chuckle. If she wasn't yelling at him yet then she wasn't going to. "Dunno, really. I never really thought about until now." He shrugged, eyes wandering over to watch the children's games just for something to look at.

"Well, that's understandable." Molly assured him and decided to go back to snapping her beans to help lighten the atmosphere. "So, tell me about this young man of yours and we'll try and figure out how to sort out the rest of your problems I know you're still stewing over."

Harry's eyes flicked over to her, gleaming shrewdly. "We've known each other since we started at Hogwarts, but we didn't exactly get along in school." He said and picked back up snapping where he'd left off.

"How did you become interested in him, if you hadn't been friendly before?"

That was an understatement if ever he heard one. Tried to bloody kill each other, more like. "Well, we hadn't seen each other for nearly ten years until awhile ago."

"What happened awhile ago, dear?" She questioned, urging him to get over his shyness and continue the story.

Harry swallowed the nervous lump that had formed in his throat. "I took James, Albus, and Lily to Diagon Alley after I took them to the Ministry to tell Kingsley I quit."

She nodded along as she snapped the beans. She remembered that, he'd fire-called the Burrow in a panic saying Albus had gotten lost in the Alley.

"When Albus ran away he found his way into his shop and made friends with his son."

"He has a son?" Molly exclaimed happily.

Harry just grinned wryly at her and she knew she hadn't gotten the whole story yet. "Yeah, he has just the one son. Anyway, after he closed down the shop he brought Albus home and sort of pushed his way into the house. Forced me to talk about Ginny and the kids a bit then left."

He chuckled distractedly and carded a hand through his hair. "Felt a bit like being hit with a really pushy freight-train, actually."

Molly observed him closely seeing all the things he wasn't saying and finding herself liking this mystery man more and more. "Have you seen him since then?" She asked.

Harry snorted and propped an elbow on the table and his chin on his hand. "Yeah. The kids get along really well with his son. They love going over to the Manor to play with him and his parents are surprisingly good with them as well." He sifted his hands through the snapped beans absently.

The Manor? Molly frowned and stopped snapping to focus the majority of her attention on this nameless single father that lived in a _Manor_. "Who is this young man, Harry?"

He cringed and mumbled, "Draco Malfoy."

There was a long heavy silence before Molly finally broke it. "And you two are getting on alright?" She asked hesitatingly.

Harry could have kissed her. There was no recrimination, no outrage, no protestations, just a simple, albeit slightly wary, question.

He grinned at her and nodded turning his face towards the field once more. "Yeah, we get along pretty great actually. He's really great with the kids, completely natural. Charming, funny, easier to talk to than I would have ever thought he would be, but still can be snarky and sarcastic when he feels like it." Harry paused, his smile slipping from his face. "And he's gorgeous."

Molly watched him curiously and asked, "Then what's the problem, dear?"

A frown stole over Harry's brow. "It's-... It's kind of intense, Molly." He admitted. "We haven't even really done anything more than flirt and cuddle a little and it already feels..." He trailed off trying to find the right words. "It feels like too much, too soon.

"We haven't been friendly with each other for all that long, but already it feels more comfortable and more... right."

Sher watched him like any mother would watch her son struggle over a problem, something troubling him deeply. "It frightens you." She murmured understandingly.

"Yeah." He breathed turning slightly tortured eyes on her. "It's not just Draco either. It's the whole bloody family." He huffed in frustration. "Scorpius is such a great kid, I could so easily love him like I love James and Albus and Lily and Teddy." A hand went into his hair and he tugged distractedly.

"And Narcissa is amazing, as well. She's so good with Lily and dotes on the boys like she does Scorpius. Lucius isn't bad either, really. He isn't particularly warm to me, but he's patient and indulgent with the children. It's a nightmare." Harry groaned.

The laugh surprised her perhaps as much as it surprise Harry. "Why is it a nightmare?" She asked after she'd quieted herself down. "They sound wonderful. Draco sounds wonderful. Granted," she tilted her head in concession, "there is no love between the Malfoys and us, but the Wizarding World has changed so much since the end of the war. I don't see a reason why the Malfoys should be denied the chance to make amends and change themselves the way everyone else has."

Harry listening to her words with the respect and reverence a woman like Molly Weasley is owed, then sighed tiredly. "It's not that really. It's just that they're all too wonderful. It would be easier if they still seemed as snotty, and haughty, and prejudiced as they used to. As it is, I'm afraid we're all moving too fast into something more meaningful than I'm ready for."

"Ah." She smiled in understanding, reaching over and stroking a soothing hand over Harry's messy black hair. "It's alright to be cautious about these things, dear. It never helped anybody to rush in when they weren't ready. Take your time and be sure you're moving in a direction you're comfortable with." She advised wisely.

It felt almost like a ten ton weight had been lifted off his shoulders and Harry couldn't help, but lean over and wrap her up in a grateful hug. "Thanks Mum." He murmured, using the title he rarely called her by.

Molly held him against her chest and blinked back the tears that had prickled at her eyes when she'd heard him call her that. "Anytime, dear. You can talk to me about anything."

And he really could, she realized. All she ever wanted was for him to be happy and if that meant falling in love with Draco Malfoy and consequently his family, then that is what she wanted for him.

They both returned to snapping the green beans and were soon distracted by other more pleasant things. Like excitable toddlers showing off a warty toad they'd found in a puddle of rain water, and an impromptu stick sword fight that resulted in several nasty scraps and flushed laughing faces.

Oh, yes. These were Molly's favorite days.

* * *

TBC...


	8. Chapter Eight

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 5,501  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Eight*****

Harry sat in his study on the ground floor of Grimmauld staring out of the window at the muggles passing on the square unawares. He hadn't taken the kids to the Manor since they'd been forced to spend the night, and hadn't issued an invitation for Draco and Scorpius to come to Grimmauld either.

He could tell the separation was affecting them all. The kids had been moody and downtrodden, but Harry couldn't bring himself to make that first step no matter how much better his conversation with Molly had made him feel.

Call him a coward, but he was dead scared of what might be growing between him and Draco. Just being friends with him was amazing and the prospect of furthering that relation to something that Harry had little to no experience with, marriage to Ginny not withstanding, was beyond debilitating.

Of course his fears and apprehensions didn't stop him from feeling guilty about it. The kids hadn't seen Scorpius since that morning and were becoming increasingly troubled. They spent long hours holed up in of their rooms with their snakes and it made Harry distinctly nervous. If he didn't know any better he'd think they were plotting something.

Shaking his head, he sighed and propped his chin on his hand and watched an old man in a bowler hat walk his dog along the side walk.

A shrill ringing echoed through the house making Harry nearly jump out of his skin in surprise. The telephone was ringing he realized bemusedly.

Chuckling dryly to himself, Harry got to his feet and headed toward to source of the noise in the kitchen. There were only about three people who knew his phone number; Hermione, Mr and Mrs Granger, and-

"Hello Dudley!" Harry called cheerily into the receiver. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"God, Harry. Do you have to always sound so bloody amused when you answer the damn phone?" His cousin cursed in good natured annoyance on the other end.

Harry just laughed heartily and leaned against the wall where the phone was perched, his fingers twirling the long curled cord absently. "Sure I do, Dud. You only use the phone because you're bloody afraid of owls."

"Too right I am." He grumbled sounding amazingly like Uncle Vernon for a moment. "Fucking birds like'to peck your bleeding eyes out."

He snorted. "They peck because your supposed to give them a treat for delivering your letters, Dudley. They get testy if you don't thank them properly."

Dudley coughed awkwardly. "Yes, well. I think I'll stick with the phone, thanks."

Harry laughed. "Whatever. So, what's up? How's Marianne?" He asked sincerely. Marianne Dursley was a surprisingly sweet woman and Harry had often wondered what exactly possessed her to marry Dudley in the first place.

Not that he really had anything against his cousin anymore, but Dudley could still be an obnoxious little prat when he wanted to.

"Oh great." Dudley said, his heart in his voice. "She's just great."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the dreamy sound of his voice. "Did you get Marianne pregnant again, Dudley?"

He heard some sputtering over the line, before he broke into amused laughter. "Haha! Way to go, Big D! How far along is she?"

Dudley grumbled something rather rude before answering. "About four months. We're hoping for another girl."

"That's great, Dudley." Harry smiled slightly. "How are Edward and Chrissy?" He asked.

"Eddy's getting into trouble at school again." Dudley huffed, sounding like he couldn't decided whether to be annoyed or proud. "Apparently, he's got into a fight with another boy twice his size. Kicked the bloody shit out of him, too."

Harry rolled his eyes. Edward, or Eddy, was surprisingly like his father, although, thankfully, he took after his mother in the looks department. "And Chrissy then?"

"Well..." The sound of Dudley shifting uncomfortably could be heard even over the line. "She's kind of why I called you."

Frowning, Harry straightened up holding the phone to his ear a little more securely. "Is there something wrong?" He asked in concern.

Dudley seemed to waffle for a moment before he finally asked, "Can we talk at yours?"

A few hours later Harry illegally had his floo hooked to Dudley's and after repeated reminders to say the address clearly, Dudley, Eddy, Chrissy, and a just visibly pregnant Marianne all stumbled through his floo.

"Hey!" Harry grinned at his cousin and his family. "Long time no see, Big D."

Soon Marianne was seated comfortably in a lawn chair transfigured into a cushy recliner in the backyard while Harry's kids showed Eddy and Chrissy their new snakes. Of course, Harry spent a half hour reassuring Dudley and his wife that the snakes were not poisonous and that the kids had them under complete control.

Even then, Dudley still watched dubiously as James, Teddy, and Albus began expounding on just how "cool" their snakes were, while Eddy listened raptly.

"You really let your kids have snakes?" He asked as he and Harry sat down at the kitchen table where they could see out the backdoor and into the yard.

Harry shrugged. "Remember on your eleventh birthday when we went to the Zoo?"

"Yeah." Dudley nodded distractedly as he watched Chrissy and Lily pet Belle and giggle over her colorful body.

"Remember when the glass disappeared from the python tank and the snake chased you and Peirce around the reptile room?" He continued voice drawling.

Slowly, warily, Dudley's head came around to look at Harry's carefully innocent face. "I thought you made the glass disappear on accident."

"Well," Harry shrugged. "I did, but before that I was having a rather interesting conversation with that python about how he wanted to travel to Brazil and visit his homeland."

Dudley's eyebrows shot up into his blond hair. "You were actually talking to the bloody snake?" He asked in disbelief. "Can all you wizards do that?

Cringing slightly, Harry ran a hand through his hair and looked off to the side. "No, actually. It's a really rare ability; even in the Wizarding World." He admitted. "Most wizards are wary of Parselmouths; people who talk to snakes."

Frowning, his cousin asked, "Why's that? I figured you lot'd be used to it."

"Well, like I said, it's an extremely rare ability. The first notable Parselmouth was over a thousand years ago and kind of a Dark wizard. And Voldemort was a Parselmouth, so being able to speak Parseltongue is regarded as a Dark ability."

Dudley seemed to be reflecting on this and Harry thought, not for the first time, that marrying Marianne really had done wonders for his intelligence.

"So, you can talk to snakes, but you're not a Dark wizard though." He clarified a small frown of concentration on his blond brows.

"Nope, but I got the ability to speak Parseltongue from Voldemort when he tried to kill me as a baby." He said wishing he hadn't started explaining this after all. "Parselmouths are born. It's not something you can just learn. I retained the ability after I killed Voldemort and then consequently passed it on to my kids." He shrugged awkwardly.

Dudley sat thinking about this for a long while. Finally, he turning his eyes back on Harry. "So, that means the snakes are relatively harmless, then."

Harry laughed and was immediately grateful for Dudley's limited scope of understanding when it came to the Wizarding World. "Yeah, Dud. The kids can handle the snakes. Besides, I told them I'd skin them and make belts out of them if they ever hurt one of my kids."

That was something Dudley understood perfectly and chuckled along with him.

"So, what did you want to talk about Chrissy for?" He asked bringing the conversation back around.

Suddenly his cousin seemed so very troubled, his massive shoulders sagging under an invisible weight. "I think Chrissy is a-a- has magic." He finished worriedly.

Chrysanthemum Dursley was a very sweet, lovely child. Just a few months younger than Lily the two girls got along rather well. Chrissy was smart like her mother and fierce enough to hold her own against her older more pushy brother. Harry was really rather fond of her.

Harry frowned and leaned back in his chair. "What makes you think that?" He asked.

Dudley leaned heavily against the kitchen table and rubbed at his face tiredly. "Well, when she was a baby toys would go flying across the room, but you know how kids throw things, so we never thought much about it. The other day, though," he bit his lip, "Eddy was picking on her about something, he would just not stop and finally she got so upset she suddenly disappeared."

Jolting in surprise, Harry leaned forward intrigued. "What happened?"

He shrugged. "We couldn't fucking find her anywhere in the house! Finally we started searching the neighborhood and we heard her screaming her head off from the roof of the bloody house." He whimpered and Harry got the distinct impression that Dudley had been more frightened for his daughter than anxious about her possibly having magic.

Leaning back, Harry thought over what Dudley had told him. "You know, Dudley, we could just find out if she is a witch or not." He said trying to sound calming.

Dudley lifted his head a flash of hope shining in his still somewhat beady eyes. "How do we do that?"

"Well, for one thing, I can Owl the Headmistress at Hogwarts. They have a book there that records every magical child born in the United Kingdom. If Chrysanthemum is in the book then she's definitely a witch and will be offered the chance to attend Hogwarts."

The other man looked speculative for a few moments before focusing back on Harry. "Could you -um- _Owl_ the Headmistress then and ask?"

Harry nodded, "Sure, Dud," and stood to open a draw at the end of the kitchen counter and pull out one of the sheets of parchment and a muggle pen he kept in it. He quickly jotted down a note to Professor McGonagall folded the sheet into thirds vertically then again in thirds horizontally before looking up and round.

Cursing, he grumbled about forgetting things and pulled his wand out. With a wave his wax and seal popped into existence on the table in front of him making Dudley jump in surprise.

"I'll never get used to that." Dudley muttered rubbing at the back of his neck as Harry just grinned at him and picked up the stick of dark green wax.

He held the stick level with his mouth and with a mischievous wink at his cousin blew lightly at the wick until it burst into a small flame.

"Show off." Dudley grumbled in more amusement than annoyance.

Harry grinned again and held the folds of his missive closed while the wet wax dripped to the parchment. He lifted the stamp, glancing at it briefly to make sure he'd summoned the Potter seal before pressing it to the wax and spelling the waxy green seal dry.

"Alright," He said as he vanish the wax and stamp back to his desk drawer in his study. "Let me call Artemis and we can send this to Headmistress McGonagall."

Dudley jumped when he put his fingers to his mouth and loose a shrill whistle. Scowling at Harry, he rubbed at his smarting ears and watched the owl warily as it swooped through the open kitchen door took the letter a treat and swooped back out again.

"How long until she sends a response?" Dudley inquired once the bird was out of sight.

Harry shrugged. "Could be by this evening, or a couple of days depending on how busy she is. It's the middle of spring term, so I imagine she's busy with the O.W.L.S, N.E.W.T.S, and other exams."

Decided that it really wasn't worth it to ask what owls and newts had to do with school at all, Dudley just nodded. "Is there a way to find out sooner than that?" He asked, failing to hide his anxiousness.

Glancing at his cousin with a shrewd look, Harry murmured, "You know, Dudley, there's nothing wrong with Chrissy if she turns out to be a witch. She's still your daughter either way."

He jolted back as if slapped. "I'm not going to treat her like some kind of freak!" He burst out angrily. "I got over that for the most part when you saved me from getting my soul sucked out of my mouth. I'm just- just worried is all." He deflated and began picking at his stubby thumbnail with the other one.

Frowning curiously, Harry tentatively asked, "Why are you worried, Dudley? Is Marianne having a problem with this?" He couldn't image she would, but you never knew. Some of the nicest people you could ever meet could secretly be prejudiced bigots underneath it all.

Dudley clicked his tongue in mild frustration before shaking his head. "Nah, Marianne's not like that. She was worried just as much as me when Chrissy suddenly disappeared to our roof. She's just happy her little girl is healthy and happy. You know how mothers are."

Harry chose not to respond to that. His experience with mothers weren't all that great. Molly, and now Narcissa and the rest of the Weasley women were the exception, but he didn't have as much faith in mothers as he probably should. Ginny and to some extent Aunt Petunia had ruined that for him.

"Then what's the problem, if neither of your are particularly upset at the prospect?" He asked.

Shifting awkwardly, Dudley's eyes wandered out to the backward were Chrissy and Lily were playing the lone patch of flowers he'd found time to plant.

"She gets picked on." Dudley admitted. "At school the other kids make fun of her because she's quiet and probably a little weird now that we know that she's actually pretty prone to -um, accidental magic?- right, accidental magic. Half the fights Eddy gets into are him defending his little sister. I'm really amazed he's won all of them considering he takes after his mother in the looks department."

To tell the truth, Harry was surprised too. Eddy was fierce to be sure, but thin and short. He wasn't built at all like his dad; stocky to the point of fat and big.

An idea flitted through Harry's head. Perhaps Chrissy wasn't the only one prone to accidental magic.

"I just don't want it get harder on her." Dudley was saying, prompting Harry to tune back in. "She's doesn't really have any friends, and I'm afraid that if she really is a witch that won't help her at all. She'll be the odd girl in class and still get picked on."

It seemed that now that Dudley had grown up some, he'd realized just how difficult he'd made life for Harry as a child. He had no desire for his own daughter to have the same experience.

Harry thought about his cousin's concerns for a moment before saying, "You know, Dudley, if she is a witch you could enroll her in a wizarding primary school. She wouldn't be the freak in school then. Or she could be taught by my mother-in-law. Molly taught all of her kids before they left for Hogwarts and is teaching most of her grandkids as well."

A weight seemed to lift from Dudley's shoulder before Harry's eyes. "Can I really do that?" He asked.

"Yeah." Harry smiled reassuringly at him. "There are quite a few muggle-borns with wizards in their extended family that enroll at the primary schools. It helps with the transition into Hogwarts when it's time."

They sat in silence for a time as Dudley thought of these new prospects with renewed hope. The situation didn't seem quite so dire any longer. Suddenly he frowned and began looking around the kitchen as if he'd only just realized something important was missing.

"Where's your wife, Harry?" He asked curiously.

Harry felt unpleasantly jarred. He hadn't realized that Dudley didn't know. He'd completely forgotten. "Ginny left, Dudley." He said, voice flat.

Dudley frowned in confusion. "Where'd she go?"

Rolling his eyes, Harry ran a hand through his hair. "No, I mean she left me -us. She dropped the kids off at their grandparents while I was on assignment for the Ministry and ran away to the Virgin Islands with her lover. I filed for divorce and now have full custody of the kids."

Dudley sat staring at him with wide eyes seeming to try and decide whether he was yanking his chain or being completely serious. "Wow, Harry. I'm sorry."

He waved him off. "It's alright, Dud. Our marriage wasn't all that great anyway. I'm just pissed that she abandoned the kids like she did." He shrugged. "For some reason, I think we're better off now."

Dudley didn't say anything to that and Harry was thankful for it. Growing tired of awkward silences, Harry got to his feet and slapped his hands together. "Alright, I think I know a way to see if Chrissy is a witch or not. Do you want to do it now?"

"Is it going to hurt her?" Dudley asked with a dubiously raised eyebrow.

Harry just snorted. "Nope, shouldn't hurt her a bit. At least it didn't when I did it. Might even prove a little fun. Come on. We'd better go out side for this. It can be a bit destructive." He ushered his slightly frightened cousin toward the kitchen door and pushed him out into the yard.

Soon the kids were all crowded around Harry, Marianne and Dudley watching from one side anxiously.

"Okay, munchkins." Harry smiled down at them all. "Now, Eddy and Chrissy, you both know that I'm wizard and can do magic, right?"

"Are you going to show us some?" Eddy asked excitedly from his place next to Albus, Tal stretched out on his shoulders indulgently.

"Nope, I want to see if you all can do magic yourselves." Harry grinned and forged on despite Chrissy's skeptical little frown and Eddy's dubious snort.

Pulling his wand from its holster on his arm, Harry held it up to show the children. His kids have seen scads of magic their whole lives, but guessed that the embellishment was for the sake of the Dursleys.

"This is my wand. It helps me focus my magic and give it a purpose. Now what I want to see is if you all can make a bit of magic with it. Alright?"

He made a big production of planting his feet shoulder width apart and holding his wand in a firm grip. "Now, most magic is done by saying a spell." He told them. "Saying the words _Wingardium Leviosa_ will do this:" And he did a practiced flick and swish, clearly saying the magic words and suddenly the rickety lawn-chair sitting next to him floated into the air a good four feet.

Eddy and Chrissy gasped and watched in amazement as the chair did a little dance before Harry set it gently back down in the grass.

"Of course it takes a bit of practice to levitate things, but it's pretty simple." He beamed at their awed little faces. "I want to see if each of you can do a bit of magic like that." He repeated.

Pointing to Teddy, he ushered his godson forward and handed him his wand. Leaning forward he whispered in his ear then stepped back receiving an understanding nod from the little boy.

Teddy's hair faded from magenta pink to bright green as he lifted his godfather's wand with an intense look of concentration. "_Verdimillious_!" He said as forcefully as he could and nearly jumped in surprise when a volley of green sparks shot from the end of Harry's wand.

Dudley and Marianne gasped, but the children all cheered and shouted, "Me next!"

Harry chuckled and took his wand back. "Very good, Teddy. Now, Chrissy, why don't you give it a try. Now, you might not be able to do it so don't fret if nothing happens. Not every one can do magic."

The little girl nodded and she stepped forward shyly. Harry crouched down to be at eye level with her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Okay, Chrissy. Would you like to try for red sparks or green sparks?"

She chewed on her lip in indecision looking like a much prettier version of her father for a moment, before she met his eyes tentatively. "Can I try red sparks, Uncle Harry?"

"Sure, sweetheart." He smiled at her and handed her his wand and patiently instructed her how to hold it. "Alright, darling, first thing you need to learn before we can get to the sparks is the spell."

She nodded with a look of determination on her young face. "The spell for red sparks is _Periculum_." He repeated it slowly with her until she had the pronunciation down.

"Perfect." He grinned at her. "Now, what I need you to do when you say the spell is to imagine red sparks actually shooting from the end of the wand. Ready?" She nodded. "Good, now remember to say it clearly. Go ahead."

He stood up and took a step back motioning for the kids to do the same. He was fully aware of how young wizards and witches often times created destruction when they were first introduced to a wand of any kind.

He'd helped his own kids learn easy spells with his wand just to get them used to it so he knew they could handle it, but Dudley's daughter had never touched one in her life. She was just as likely to blow a hole in the side of the garden shed as create sparks.

Chrissy glared at the end of the wand in concentration and held it tightly in her little hands. Harry could hear Dudley and Marianne holding their breath behind him. She took a deep readying breath and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"_Periculum_!" No one was more surprised than her when Harry's wand fairly exploded with red sparks. She squealed and dropped the wand jumping back, eyes wide.

Harry laughed, delighted and stepped forward to wrap her in a tight hug. "That was wonderful, Chrissy! You did great." He said, reaching into the grass to pick up his wand.

"I really did it?" She asked, sounding truly shocked.

"You sure did, sugar." He grinned at her and turned to shoot Dudley a meaningful look. Dudley just stared at his daughter with something akin to awe on his face before nodding to Harry in understanding.

Standing up and gently urging Chrissy to go stand next to Lily, Harry decided to try Eddy. "Eddy, do you want to try it?" He asked.

The little boy was just short of a year younger than James and stepped forward with more confidence than his little sister had before him. "I want green sparks." He announced decisively.

Harry raised his eyebrow, but nodded anyway. "Alright, but remember that not everyone can do magic and you might not be able to make anything happen with my wand." He received a nod to his cautioning and he went through the routine of instructing Eddy how to hold the wand and how to pronounce the spell.

Eddy picked it up quickly and soon had his brow furrowed much like his sister's. "_Verdimillious_!" He intoned clearly only to grin in satisfaction when the wand spit out a round of emerald sparks.

Not surprised in the least, Harry grinned at him and congratulated him. Soon the kids were off playing once more in the yard and with the snakes, while Harry slipped his wand back into its holster on his forearm and strode over to his cousin.

Dudley and Marianne looked completely gobsmacked.

"But Eddy hasn't done anything strange?" Dudley stuttered, seeming to find his voice before his wife.

"Hasn't he?" Harry drawled in amusement. "Weren't you just telling me that he'd been getting into fights with kids older than him, twice his size and winning every time?"

A frown stole over Marianne's pretty face. "You really think that was him doing magic?" She asked in bewilderment.

He shrugged. "It could have been, or he could just be a good fighter. I went to school with a pure-blood wizard who hadn't shown any signs of magic until his uncle accidentally dropped him out of a window and he ended up bouncing all the way down the lane. He was dreadful at magic all the way through school, partly from his own lack of confidence and partly because he wasn't using a wand suited to him. Now, he's one of the most talented wizards I know as well as a war hero." He neglected to tell them that Neville also could have been the Wizarding World's Chosen One. They didn't need to know that.

"So it could just be that you don't notice his spontaneous magic, or that he just isn't inclined to doing it accidentally like Chrissy. Either way, both of them have magic. A fare amount I would guess." He finished crossing his arms comfortably.

Dudley and Marianne were silent for a long moment before Dudley met Harry's gaze. "How would I go about enrolling them in magic school?"

"Well, I don't know about primary school. My kids are home schooled with their grandmothers, but I could ask my friend Hermione for you. As for Hogwarts, if they are in fact in the record book, they'll receive an invitation when they turn eleven like I did." He traded an amused look with Dudley, both of them remembering the flood of letters chasing them from Privet Drive.

"There are two other magic schools in Europe that I know of. One is somewhere in Eastern Europe, Durmstrang, but they don't accept muggle-borns and teach the Dark Arts besides." He waved a nonchalant hand not really noticing their bemused and slightly overwhelmed expressions. "The other is in France, Beauxbatons. The Headmistress served as a liaison with the Giants for us in the war."

Finally, he seemed to realize that Dudley and his wife were looking just a wee bit panicked and cringed. "It'll be alright, Dudley. If they go to Hogwarts, they'll be there with my kids and the Weasleys. They won't be alone. You have plenty of time to prepare for it."

Conversation after that moved to less frightening, life changing subjects.

Marianne asked about Teddy's sudden and frequent appearance changes sounding fascinated. "Can all wizards do that?"

"No, it's a very rare gift." Harry told them a hint of pride coloring his voice. "Those that can are called Metamorphmagus. They're born with it. Teddy's mother was one as well. He inherited it from her."

"That's really amazing." She said, her eyes tracking Teddy through the yard as he once again lead the siege against the garden gnome. "Is it just his hair or...?"

"Oh, no." Harry shook his head in amusement. "He can change everything. Hair, eyes, nose, mouth, skin color, height and weight to some extent. At this age though, he keeps to the easy stuff: hair, eyes, and a little bit of facial morphing. His mother was always coming up with different hair styles every time I saw her." He told them with a grin.

"Really?" Marianne asked curiously. "So, you had him before you married Ginny?" She said trying to sound nonchalant about what that question implied.

Harry then realized that they had never met Teddy before. That surprised him, but it wasn't unbelievable that they should have missed each other. Dudley's family didn't visit all that often and Teddy hadn't stayed them him for any length of time for a few years.

"Oh. No! He's not my son." He shook his hands along with his head in negation. "Teddy's my godson. His father had been one of my father's best friends." He explained. "And his mother had been a good friend of mine. He was born in the middle of the war and they asked me to be his godfather. Both of them died in the war." He finished, voice low.

Marianne's eyes pinched around the edges sadly and flicked over to where Teddy was bent double in laughter as Eddy tried to run away from the gnome as it chased him brandishing a stick at the back of his knees.

"And he lives with you?" She asked, turning her gaze back toward Harry.

"No. He lives with his maternal grandmother. I would like him to live with us, but she likes to hog him." He grinned, mirth returning to his eyes. "He does come and stay with us from long periods of time, though."

They continued talking as the afternoon turned to evening. Just as the stars were starting to peak through the darkening sky and the charmed yard lights popped on one by one, Artemis swooped down from the sky and landed lightly on Harry's shoulder.

The owl nipped affectionately as his ear as he held out his leg with McGonagall's return missive.

Harry freed the owl of the letter conscious of Dudley and Marianne's anxious looks as he cracked the Hogwarts seal and unfolded it. As he read, Artemis flew off his shoulder to land on the arm of Marianne's recliner and beg pets from her.

Scanning the letter beginning to end, Harry went back and red it three times before Dudley finally snapped. "Well, what does the bloody thing say?"

Marianne smacked him scoldingly on the arm before asking in a much calmer, though still anxious, voice, "What did the Headmistress say, Harry?"

He flicked his eyes up to them and smiled. "It looks like she found two entries under the names of Edward Hamilton Dursley and Chrysanthemum Scarlet Dursley in the record book. Looks like they'll be admitted into Hogwarts."

Dudley's jaw dropped then he broke into a relieved smile. His kids weren't just weird, they were actually wizards. "That's good. Thanks."

Harry clapped him on the shoulder and grinned at him. "No problem, Big D. The kids will happy that they'll be going to Hogwarts as well."

"They'll need magic stuff to go there though, won't they?" Dudley asked, sounding concerned. "We don't have any wizard money. I don't even know where to go to get a wand!"

Laughing at just how distraught his cousin sounded, Harry wrapped a reassuring arm around his shoulders and winked at Marianne who had also adopted a troubled expression. "Don't worry, Dudley. I'll help you get your pounds exchanged at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and I'll help you shop for their school supplies."

He tilted his head towards the kids at the other end of the yard. "Eddy should be in the same year as James so, if you like, when they get their letters, you can come with us to Diagon Alley to buy his supplies."

It was almost funny how relieved Dudley looked after that.

"So, they have a whole alley for magical shops?" Marianne inquired.

"There's a whole wizarding quarter in central London." Harry informed her. "Diagon Alley extends into more of a village than an actual alley. Then there's Knockturn Alley, but that's for the more shady shops." He grimaced. "You don't want to go there unless you have to."

They talked a bit more in depth about the Wizarding World, seeing as how they were going to be more intimately acquainted with it now, until the children showed signs of waning and Marianne decided it was time to go.

After Dudley, Marianne, Eddy, and Chrissy disappeared through the floo, Harry dismantled the illegal connection and started ushering his kids up to their own beds.

Little did he know that while he was laying awake in his own bed trying not to think about how it felt to wake up with Draco in his arms, his children had all sneaked into Teddy's room to hold an emergency meeting.

* * *

TBC...


	9. Chapter Nine

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 4,705  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Nine*****

Lily bounced onto Teddy's bed and curled up against his side, her eyes drooping tiredly, but there were more important things to worry about besides sleep.

"What are we going to do?" She moaned sadly. "I thought Scorpius's plan worked!"

"It did work!" Albus insisted, his brow furrowing indignantly. "We got to spend the night and Dad had to sleep with Draco. They even cuddled!"

"Sure, it worked." James shrugged as he leaned back against the wall where he was seated next to the bed on the floor. "But it didn't work for long. Dad and Draco haven't seen each other since and we haven't been able to talk to Scor and come up with another plan."

"What do you think went wrong?" Albus asked, deflating, a puzzled frown wrinkling his face. "Stella said they seemed happy."

"Maybe it takes more than just spending the night once and cuddling to fall in love." Teddy suggested, sounding for all their desperation and hopelessness like the very voice of wisdom. He was oldest after all, he must know about these kinds of things.

"Well, how much could it take?" James huffed. "Of all the times we got to go to the Manor, Dad and Draco always sat and talked together. They were always laughing and smiling."

They only wanted their dad to be happy. Draco made him happy, they could tell. They just didn't understand how come him and their dad stopped seeing each other.

"They need to see each other again." Lily said, her voice pouting as she laid her head on Teddy's shoulder. "Then they'll like each other again and fall in love and Scorpius can be our brother and Draco and Dad can have more babies to be our siblings." Her voice grew progressively higher with desperation and exhaustion and her eyes began to tear.

"It's alright, Lily." Teddy soothed, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing comfortingly. "We'll think of something. It'll be alright."

She nodded sadly against his shoulder and sniffled.

James watched with growing frustration. "What we really need is to talk to Scorpius. He knows more about his dad than we do. If we could just ask him, we'd know when Draco works in his shop and we could get Dad to take us to Diagon Alley to see him."

"We can Owl him." Albus said, sudden insight making his green eyes flash. "One of us can sneak up to the owlery and get Artemis then we can send him a note explaining the plan."

"That's a good idea, but who's going to sneak passed Dad's room?" Teddy asked pointedly.

"I'll do it." James declared as he scrambled to his feet. "I can sneak down stars and grab Stella to keep watch on Dad's door, then, while I sneak up the owlery to grab Artemis, Al can write the note to Scorpius." He said.

"Alright." Teddy nodded in acceptance, once again acting as the unofficial leader of the Potter children. "Let's do it."

Albus and James slipped silently out of Teddy's room together. Albus tiptoed back to his room to grab some parchment and a muggle pen, while James crept down the creaky stairs and into the snakes' room. They met back up at the door to Teddy's room and passed each other with grave conspiratorial nods before going their different routes.

James whispered to Stella and set her silently on the floor once he'd made it up the stairs, taking care not to trip on the creaky stair third from the top. He waited at the edge of the landing until she gave him the all clear before he turned the corner and headed up the next flight to the owlery.

The little snake waited until he'd made it all the way up before slithering over and curling up at the bottom of the stairs to wait for him to come back down, her fiery orange eyes watching Harry's bedroom door intently.

The owlery was cold, but James ignore the screaming of the soles of his feet while he tiptoed over to Artemis and poked him 'til the bird gave an indignant hoot and reluctantly hopped onto his shoulder.

Thankfully, the trip back to Teddy's room was quick and uneventful, and after bypassing it to return Stella to the tank, James slipped into the room with Artemis on his shoulder.

"Did you finish the letter?" He asked as he returned to his spot on the floor, Artemis abandoning him to perch on the foot-board of Teddy's bed.

"Almost." Albus murmured distractedly, his tongue peaking from between his lips as he hurriedly finished scrawling the rest of their tentative plan on the parchment. "Done!" He exclaimed in satisfaction.

He passed it to James to sign, then Teddy, and Lily, and finally back to him, before he folded in thirds then thirds again like he'd seen his dad do loads of times before. Sealing the folds with a scrounged up sparkly unicorn sticker he'd stolen from Lily the week before, Albus carefully tied it to Artemis's leg with instructions to take it directly to Scorpius and peck on his window until he opened it.

Teddy slid his window up and all four of them watched as the owl swooped off into the night.

"What are we going to do now?" Lily asked around a yawn.

"I wrote for Scorpius to reply when he got the letter, so I suppose we wait until Artemis brings it back." Albus said.

"Alright, it's probably going to take awhile, so why don't we try to get some sleep until then." Teddy suggested.

The others agreed and soon they were all piled on Teddy's twin bed underneath his constellation printed comforter.

The sun was just lightening the sky when Teddy was jolted awake by Artemis pecking gently at his head. Groggily, the little boy untangled himself from the other children and closed the window behind the bird before untying Scorpius's reply and patting the owl tiredly on the head.

He cracked the black wax seal stamped with the Malfoy crest and quickly unfolded the letter reading it thoroughly before a grin broke over his sleepy face. They had themselves a plan.

* * *

Teddy, James, Albus, and Lily clustered together in a group as they followed Harry away from the Alley floos and into the Alley proper. They tried to look innocent every time their father glanced back at them over his shoulder, but they didn't quite accomplish it, much to Harry's increasing unease.

"Now, you remember the plan?" James whispered to his little sister for the tenth time.

"Yes, James!" She hissed snappishly at him. "I know what to do."

"Quiet!" Teddy cautioned, his eyes watching to make sure Harry wasn't watching them too closely.

"You got Belle and everything?" Albus murmured nervously. "She knows what to do?"

"Of course!" Lily sniffed pretty haughtily for a five year old. "She's very clever. Remember? Draco said so."

The boys just rolled their eyes and continued following Harry until they made it to Fortescue's.

"Does everybody know what they want?" Harry asked, noticing not for the first time just how strange his kids were acting.

"I want a strawberry sundae with chocolate sauce and sprinkles!" Lily cheered, her excitement truly genuine. After all what child didn't want ice cream on a regular basis.

"I want a banana split with vanilla and strawberry sauce!" Teddy called.

"And I want two scoops of pumpkin and a scoop of pistachio on top!" Albus informed him.

"Pistachio? Yuck! Gimme triple-fudge-chocolate-chocolate with jelly slugs!" James demanded.

Well, Harry thought with a wry smile, at least that was completely normal.

Ice cream paid for and handed out, the Potter family commandeered one of the tables on the outside patio to sit and enjoy their snack before they continued on with their shopping. Harry enjoyed himself immensely listening to his kids chatter and bicker with each other over childish things and make outlandish plans on how to get revenge on the garden gnome next time they played in the backyard.

It was turning out to be a really pleasant day. Draco Malfoy and his beautiful laugh had barely crossed his mind the entire time they ate and the trend followed him all the way through their wandering towards Quality Quidditch. Of course, he should have known his uneventful day wouldn't last for long.

They were about to step through the open door of Quality Quidditch when Teddy nodded discreetly to James, who winked at Albus, who leaned over to Lily and whispered, "Do it!"

Lily jumped into action turning her face down toward her belly where Belle had been curled underneath her dress and around her waist all afternoon. She hissed to the snake and waited until Belle had slithered down her body to the ground before letting out a high pitched squeal that made half the people in the Alley jump in surprise and was sure to catch her dad's attention.

"Belle!" She exclaimed shrilly, slapping her hands to her cheeks dramatically when she was sure her daddy was looking. "I told you you couldn't come with us! Where are you going? Come back!"

And just as they'd rehearsed all morning, Lily took off after her snake as she slithered away.

Albus had spent a painstaking hour translating the directions Scorpius had sent them to his dad's shop to Parseltongue so that the snake would know where to head off to. But Harry wasn't to know that. All he knew was that his daughter had just bolted after her wayward snake into the milling masses of Diagon Alley.

"Lily!" He shouted, panicked as he launched himself off the front steps of Quality Quidditch and gave chase, James, Albus, and Teddy following close behind.

Lily kept running her head down, dodging witches and wizards left and right, her eyes fastened unwaveringly on her -thankfully- brightly colored companion. She trusted Belle to know the way and not lead her astray, so she concentrated on keeping up with the snake and not losing sight of her underneath all those feet.

It's working, the plan is actually working! Teddy thought as he panted, following closely on Albus's heels. The only thing he was worried about was whether the snake actually knew the way. This would be all for nothing if Belle couldn't find Draco's shop.

Gosh, I hope I translated everything right! Albus fretted internally as he kept his eyes firmly on his dad's back, dodging people as they leaped out of their way. He really wanted them to be right, because he couldn't wait to see Scorpius again. He put on a burst of speed with renewed determination.

Gotta work, gotta work, gotta work! James chanted to himself as he kept his eyes on Teddy's bright purple hair. The plan had to work, because their dad had to be happy again and Scorpius would be a cool little brother, and Lily wanted a little sister, he just knew it. It just had to work.

Lily yelped in surprise as Belle suddenly swerved to the right hissing, _"Here! It's here!"_, and finally stopped slithering.

Skidding to a halt, Lily scooped up her snake hurriedly afraid that she would get stepped on and looked behind her through the crowd to see if her dad was close behind.

_"Good job, Belle. We did it!"_ She hissed quietly to the snake when Harry's panicked face popped out from behind a round, apple shaped wizard.

Lifting the snake up so her dad could see as he came to a stop panting in front of her, Lily grinned innocently up at him. "Look, Daddy! I found her."

Harry bent double trying to catch his breath and lamenting the fact that he seemed rather out of shape. Turning his head he made sure that James, Albus, and Teddy had already come up behind him before turning back to his daughter and pinning her with an angry glare.

"Lily Luna Potter! What on earth did you think you were doing?" He scolded causing Lily's grin to disappear. She flicked her eyes toward her brothers worriedly, her daddy wasn't supposed to get mad.

"I'm sorry, Daddy!" She exclaimed. "But I couldn't let Belle get hurt."

Teddy had to commend her on her acting skills, but Harry looked really mad. It was time to go to the next part of the plan. He nudged Albus and gave him a meaningful look.

On cue Albus stepped into his dad's line of sight before he could open his mouth to scold Lily again. "Hey! Look! This is Draco's shop!"

Harry snapped his mouth closed and glanced up at the sign for the shop they'd stopped in front of.

_Mystic Malfoy's_

_Potions, Trinkets, Charms, and Sweets_

"Let's go in!" James suggested excitedly.

"I don't think-" Harry began to protest. His anger and worry for his daughter completely forgotten in the face of his sudden fear of seeing Draco again.

"We haven't seen Draco and Scorpius in _forever_!" Albus exclaimed. "Can we see if they're here?" He asked hopefully.

"They're probably not-" He tired again to no avail.

"Come on, Harry!" Teddy called as he yanked the door open and stepped in followed closely by the other children leaving Harry with no choice, but to follow.

The inside of the shop looked much like the outside; tidy, cheerful, and a bit mysterious. The place smelled earthy and spicy and welcoming, like cookies and vanilla and cinnamon. Harry looked around to see a whole wall devoted to potions for all sorts of things from skinned knees to aphrodisiacs. The opposite was taken up by packaged baked goods that must be the source of the heavenly smell.

A small silver bell shaped like a dragon's head chimed brightly as the door slipped closed behind them.

"Be right with you!" Draco's unmistakable voice called from somewhere in the back of the store behind the counter.

"Wow." Lily breathed as she looked around in wonder, Belle now safely curled around her neck. "Look at all that pretty jewelry!"

Looking closer at the isles and cases down the center of the shop Harry had to admit his daughter was right. They were filled with beautiful, unique pieces of jewelry. Bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings; enchanted jeweled charms to wear for protection, prosperity, luck, _fertility_, _virility_. He raised an eyebrow.

Just as he was taking a step toward the jewelry case to get a better look, an excited shout rang out in the shop making him jump.

"Albus!" Scorpius rushed from behind the counter dressed much the way he'd been the last time they'd met at the shop, in expensive embroidered dress robes.

Albus ran toward him and the two boys latched onto each other as if they'd been separated for years.

"It worked!" He whispered in Scorpius's ear before they pulled apart beaming.

"Hey, Scor!" James grinned and patted the smaller boy on the back as if they hadn't completely engineered this meeting. "Long time no see."

Harry watched the children reuniting with a renewed sense of guilt until a familiar drawling voice stole the entirety of his attention.

"Well, look at what the cat dragged in." Draco smirked from his place leaning against the counter, sharp gray eyes riveted on Harry's handsome face. It felt almost like a lifetime since he'd seen those green eyes and he hadn't liked the separation one bit.

Fighting his rising blush, Harry returned the smirk with a small smile. "Hello Draco." He said softly, eyes moving over the other man's body taking in exactly just how beautiful he looked in full dress robes.

Draco fought down the small welling of hurt he'd been nursing since he realized that Harry had been avoiding him. "Hello Harry." He responded just as softly letting his eyes speak for him.

Of course Harry didn't need any words to understand. Draco may have been frightened by how fast they were moving as well, but he hadn't wanted to stop seeing each other all together. That was Harry's cowardice; a failure which he was now going to suffer Draco's aloofness for.

They held each others eyes, communicating silently, until Lily's delighted squeal distracted them.

"Draco!" She lunged forward and launched herself at him, arms wide in clear demand.

Surprised, Draco gave a small chuckle as he quickly caught the little girl and hoisted her up into the air. "Lily-flower! How are you doing this afternoon? Gosh, you're prettier than the last time I saw you." He teased.

Harry watched the scene for a moment until a hesitant tugging pulled at his attention. Glancing down he saw Scorpius with a hand clutching at the bottom of his t-shirt, cheeks pinked with shyness.

The little boy looked up into his eyes for a moment before he looked back down at his feet and shuffling bashfully. "Hi, Harry. I'm glad you're here." He murmured sincerely, tentative gray eyes peaking up through his silvery blond hair.

Harry fairly melted in a mixture of warmth and guilt. He'd missed Scorpius almost as much as he'd missed Draco. Crouching down, he pulled the little boy into a tight hug before pulling back and giving him a small smile.

"I'm glad I'm here now, too." He said, almost chuckling at the dreamy surprised look Scorpius pinned him with as he stood back up.

Draco allowed the happiness to burst inside him as he experienced a surprisingly desperate hug from James, a beautifully happy smile from Teddy, and Albus's reluctance to move out of physical contact with him. He looked up from the Potter children's faces to see his own son's blindingly bright smile turned on Harry and had to blink back tears.

This was all just too much, he decided. He was falling in love with Potters left, right, and center, big and small, and it was obvious his son was there right along with him. The falling was painless, it was the landing that could kill you.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he let Lily slip down his body until her feet were on the floor. "Alright, ducklings." He called, voice a little tight, but the children didn't seem to notice. "I've got cookies in the backroom, fresh out of the oven. Scorpius will show you the way."

The kids cheered, shooting each other triumphant looks and meaningful grins as they trooped behind the counter to disappear into the backroom.

Now that they were alone, with no children to make words uneconomical, Draco suddenly wished he hadn't sent them away. The silence stretched. Harry watching him with abruptly unreadable emerald eyes, and him not knowing what to say to this boyhood rival that had stolen his heart so carelessly.

"I understood that you wanted some space, Potter, but I didn't realize space would translate to complete and total avoidance." He finally said softly.

Harry cringed and looked away. "That was stupid of me." He agreed, cheeks heating with guilt.

"You're damn right it was stupid." Draco snapped, not really feeling all that charitable. "What's your game, Potter?" He asked harshly, slipping too easily into the pernicious boy of his youth.

"There's no game, Draco!" Harry denied. "It wasn't a game. I was just-" He stopped, ran a hand through his hair and started again, "I was just scared, alright?"

"Scared?" Draco sneered. "I was bloody scared too, Harry." He shouted. "I find myself completely attracted to and embarrassingly smitten with my boyhood enemy in less time than it takes a house-elf to shit. Of course I'm going to be fucking scared out of my God damned wits, but I'm not the one that decided avoidance was the best way to deal with that!"

Harry stared at him, stunned, until he swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and croaked, "I'm sorry, Draco. I-I didn't mean to hurt you. It took me by surprise and so soon after Ginny left." He shrugged uselessly knowing that none of this was an excuse for his neglect. "I didn't know if I was even ready to try something like this again."

They stood in Draco's shop facing one another, but not daring to look each other in eye. The silence stretched.

"I think what scared me the most, Draco," Harry began softly, "was that this feels nothing like it did with Ginny."

Draco lifted his head from where he'd been staring at his feet, his arms crossed over his chest, and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Mm." Harry frowned, trying to decide how to put it in words. "This feels -somehow- deeper. More potent." He said. "It feels really comfortable and so..."

_Right_. Draco finished for him silently, his gray eyes flicking upwards to meet Harry's green. "I know, Harry." He murmured. "I feel that, too."

Smiling slightly, Harry nodded and turned to lean his hip against one of the jewelery cases. "The kids missed you and Scorpius." He said quietly. "I missed you and Scorpius."

Draco huffed out a breath looking very put upon. "We missed you all, too." He sighed. "Quite a lot, actually. It seems Potters start to grow on you after awhile."

Harry just grinned. "Can we try this again?" He asked hopefully.

Draco eyed him warily for a moment before nodding tentatively, his heart giving an uncomfortable little loop. "I'd like that." He murmured.

Grin melting into a look of determination, Harry straightened up and walked slowly toward him. Uncrossing his arms, Draco could feel his heart speed up, but his eyes never Harry's. They were almost mesmerizing.

Stopping when they were almost nose to nose, Harry had a fleeting realization that he was actually a couple of inches taller, before his attention was completely arrested by Draco's eyes once more. Smiling absently, he lifted his hands and slipped them into Draco's hair on either side of his face, palms cradling his cheeks.

Draco's breath caught in his throat when Harry twitched his fingers gently in his silky silvery hair and tilted his head just the slightest bit as he began to lean in.

Pausing when their lips were a scant breath apart and he could feel the heat radiating off of them, Harry whispered, "I missed you, Draco," before pressing their mouths together.

It felt like a shock had gone through their bodies. Draco's hands came up to clutch at Harry's upper arms to brace himself. After the first tentative touch, they let their mouths peek open and their lips move against each other as their eyes slid to half-mast.

Harry guided Draco's head to tilt the opposite way as his, affording them a better angle.

Their kiss felt hot, and warm, and shocking, and dizzy, and right. At the first touch of Harry's tongue against Draco's lips he pulled just the barest breath away. "I missed you too, Harry." He breathed against his mouth, before moving back in and seizing Harry's lips once more.

Combing his fingers through Draco's hair downward, Harry stroked his hands over his neck and shoulders, and down his back to press at his waist, urging him closer.

Draco opened his mouth just a little bit more, his tongue peaking out to stroke over Harry's bottom lip, as he moved his hands from his arms to clutched near desperately at his shoulders, tangling his t-shirt in his fingers.

A surprising growl rumbled in Harry's chest as he moved his mouth from Draco's to skim over his jaw and neck. Wrapping his arms around him tightly, he pressed his face into Draco's skin and inhaled deeply.

"You smell like cookies." He rumbled, his hands splaying open against Draco's lower back.

Draco let out a breathy chuckle as he returned the favor, smiling in amusement as he inhaled the scents of what could only be chocolate and strawberry ice cream. "You smell like ice cream, and soot." He said, eyes closed in contentment.

"Speaking of ice cream and cookies, we'd better check on the kids and make sure they haven't destroyed anything." Harry sighed reluctantly.

"Hm." Draco pulled away with a lazy smile on his lips. "I'm sure they've just eaten all the cookies."

"Let's hope so." Harry muttered, loath to actually remove his hands from Draco's body.

Seeming not to mind the prolonged physical contact, Draco began stroking his hand up and down Harry's back. "What made you come into the shop today?" He asked.

"Nothing." Harry shrugged. "Lily's snake stowed away when we left this afternoon then made a get away and Lily chased after her. She finally caught up with silly snake right outside your shop. The kids wanted to come in, so we did." He explained rather simply.

Draco frowned. That sounded horribly coincidental. The memory of their mysteriously broken floo tickled at him and he raised a speculative eyebrow. "What a fortunate coincidence." He muttered.

Harry didn't really notice. "Shall we go check on them, then."

"Sure." Draco nodded and slowly pulled away, missing the feeling of closeness already. He promised himself he'd take a closer look into his suspicions later. Right now they were about to walk into a room full of five sugar crazed children. He was going to need all of the concentration he could get.

Belle hurriedly slithered back into the backroom and curled her way up to Lily's shoulders hissing all the while. The little girl listened raptly, James and Albus listening as well while Teddy and Scorpius bounced on the balls of their feet anxiously.

When Lily gave a happy giggle and the boys broke out in flaming blushes, Scorpius couldn't take it any more. He squeezed Albus's hand painfully tight and burst. "Well, what happened!" He asked anxiously.

Lily looked up from her snake and grinned. "They were kissing."

Teddy's mouth fell open and Scorpius ceased his bouncing. The children all looked at each other with varying looks of surprised and giddy happiness before they all split into triumphant grins and cheered.

This was the scene Draco and Harry opened the door to; their kids jumping up and down screaming their heads off with smiles a mile wide. They shared a knowing look.

"What are you little heathens so happy about?" Draco drawled.

The ear splitting noise abruptly stopped and all the children looked at their fathers with vaguely guilty faces. He raised an eyebrow at them.

Teddy snatched one of the ginger cookies off the plate on the table and grinned. "These are really good cookies, Draco. Sorry, we ate most of them."

And on cue all the other children began shuffling guiltily with innocent little grins and snatching handfuls of cookies to very obviously stash in their pockets for later.

Draco watched the whole display with a growing sense of scheming. Oh yeah, he was so going to have a word with Shotzy sometime soon.

"Right, just don't ruin your dinners." He cautioned them and shot Harry a pointed look. The other man had a vaguely puzzled wrinkle to his brow, but other than that, Draco realized he was the only one that had picked up on the majority of the suspicious events.

Rolling his eyes at his clueless Gryffindor, Draco began ushering the children toward the floo in his shop and to the Manor for dinner. He resolved to watch the kids for more signs of espionage while he was at it.

* * *

TBC...


	10. Chapter Ten

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 5,554  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval makes Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Ten*****

The next few visits went famously for everyone involved. Each one started out with conspiratorial grins exchanged among the kids and, when they were at the Manor, knowingly amused looks from Lucius and Narcissa.

Draco and Harry greeted each other each day with increasingly familiar kisses and parted with the same, but didn't go much farther beyond that. They resolved to continue moving slowly, but neither of them really minded.

Teddy and his co-conspirators were basking in the glow of their victory. They fairly glowed with happiness every time they caught their fathers looking at each other in the way that James dubbed "moony-eyed". Of course, despite his teasing, he really didn't mind all that much.

Everything seemed to be moving smoothly until one afternoon at Grimmauld.

Draco was in the kitchen baking a few batches of cookies for the kids while Harry watched the little heathens out in the yard when the floo flared up.

Glancing over to see who had popped in, Draco had a fleeting thought that next to no one even knew he and Harry were friends much less dating when everything just left his mind in shock. He had a flash of need to pull his wand, but just settled for dropped his mixing bowl instead.

Of course, the woman standing in front of the hearth looked about three times as surprised and simply stood staring at him much like he did her.

Thankfully a particularly loud and happy shriek from outside snapped them out of their shock and they seemed to reel back away from each other.

Draco was remembering images of his insane Aunt Bellatrix as he looked at this woman that looked so much like her. Of course, he knew exactly who she was. She was Teddy's grandmother. She was Andromeda Black Tonks.

"Good lord." Andromeda breathed and pressed a hand to her chest. For a moment, when she'd stepped through the floo she'd thought she'd been seeing Lucius Malfoy standing in Harry's kitchen with flour on his cheek, and a spatula and mixing bowl in his hands. Then she saw the bits that weren't Lucius; the nose and lips and ears. Of course she knew who he was, but what she didn't know was what he was doing in her Harry's kitchen.

They stood silently staring at each other, studying each other until Draco remember he'd just dropped a mixing bowl filled with flour, eggs, and sugar on the kitchen floor.

Shaking himself, he bent to pick up the bowl, thankfully not broken, and straightened, eyes never leaving Andromeda.

"I'm sorry." He said deciding that perhaps politeness would help smooth over the edges. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

"I know who you are." She said, voice hard and unfriendly. Of course she didn't mean to sound so abrupt, but couldn't seem to shake off her shock.

He set the bowl back on the counter and sniffed a little in irritation. Obviously she didn't want to be polite.

"Right." He nodded, voice clipped. "And I know who you are. You are Andromeda Black Tonks." He said pulling out his wand and vanishing the ruined cookie mix from the floor. "Widowed by Theodore Tonks, mother of Nymphadora Tonks Lupin, mother-in-law of the werewolf, Remus John Lupin, and grandmother of Theodore Remus Lupin. I know who you are." He finished, voice growing frosty with every word.

Andromeda flinched. There had been no reason for her to be quite so suspicious. The boy was baking cookies for God's sake. It wasn't like he was rigging the house to blow, but even so. She hadn't had contact with her family since she was disowned. It was a bit of shock to see her little sister's son standing so domestically in Harry's kitchen.

She opened her mouth to apologize, to do something, but didn't get a chance.

Harry stepped through the open kitchen door. "Hey, Draco. I heard something crash. Is everything al...right?" He trailed off and stopped abruptly when he took in the scene before him.

Draco turned around giving Andromeda his back and flashed Harry a vague smile. "Yeah, I just got a bit of a shock and dropped the mixing bowl." He said. "I'm going to go check on the kids. The timer should go off in twenty minutes, pull the cookies out, and don't forget to turn off the oven." He instructed brusquely before he brushed passed him and disappeared outside.

That left Harry and Andromeda standing awkwardly in the kitchen with a heaviness in the air.

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Right, well. I guess that didn't go well, did it?"

"I'm afraid I might have been a bit abrupt." Andromeda agreed, her eyes still fastened on the kitchen door.

A breath puffed out of him and Harry pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down, motioning for Andromeda to join him. She took the chair next to his and turned to face him. "I thought he was Lucius Malfoy when I first stepped through the floo."

Harry snorted and folded one arm on the table. "And I'm sure he thought you were Bellatrix, as well. I thought you were the first time I saw you."

She pursed her lips in irritation and fidgeted with the hem of her blouse. "Yes, well. Thank goodness my darling sister is no longer with us. God rest her soul." She muttered grudgingly.

Shaking his head, Harry leaned back. "What happened, Andromeda?"

"I was suspicious and short with him." She said. "He took me by surprise, Harry. I'd never seen the boy in my life, I haven't seen his mother, my own sister, is decades and suddenly I find him in your kitchen baking cookies. Do you mind telling what is going on?" She gave him that penetrating stare that Harry figured all mothers knew. It was the one that said they knew everything, they were just waiting for you to say it out loud.

Harry had the good grace to look marginally guilty. "Draco and I are... seeing each other." He mumbled. "We hadn't spoken in ten years then when Albus ran away that one day after Ginny left, he hid out in Draco's shop in the Alley until Draco closed up and brought him home. After that we just kinda kept seeing each other." He shrugged helplessly.

"Scorpius, Draco's son, gets on amazingly with the kids, even Teddy likes him and Draco is great with them. We've been over to the Manor quite a bit and Narcissa and Lucius are -quite surprisingly, mind- great. It came as a shock, I can tell you, considering the last time I'd had any prolonged contact with them had been when I testified at their trial." He finished.

They sat in silence for a time until Andromeda finally found her voice. "You took my grandson into Malfoy Manor." She repeated flatly. "You put my Teddy in the same house as my condescending, prejudiced sister and her bastard husband?"

"Andromeda!" Harry snapped, a great surge of angry indignation suddenly welling up inside him. "I may not like Lucius, but Narcissa is not condescending nor are either of them excessively prejudiced any longer." He informed her assuredly.

"It doesn't matter! You still took my grandson to a house of former Death Eaters, and continue to put him in danger recklessly without even thinking to give me a say in the matter! Do you even know what they would have done to him during the war just because of what his father was?" She snarled at him.

"I know what would have happened to him better than you or anyone, Andromeda. But this isn't the war. The war's been over for a decade and Teddy has never suffered a single disparaging remark or dirty look from those people while under their roof." He told her, voice dangerously deep, before his face contorted into a sneer. "And how dare you suggest that I would ever subject Teddy -or my own children- to situation that I felt was even remotely dangerous or unwelcoming?"

"The war may be over, but the prejudices are just as strong now as ever." She responded coldly.

"I know you and Ted feared and, to some extent, disapproved of Tonks marrying a werewolf, but you have to let it go, Andromeda! You're holding onto fears ten years irrelivant. Narcissa and Lucius have never once given any indication that they cared that Teddy's father was a werewolf." He ground out in frustration.

"When were you going to tell me, Harry?" Andromeda demanded angrily, turning the argument back around. "When were you going to explain to me that you exposed Teddy to the last of my horrid family? He is my grandson and you didn't even think to inform me!" She yelled.

"Teddy may be your grandson, but Tonks and Remus named me his godfather. I have only ever had his best interests at heart and I will take him to Malfoy Manor, and I will let him spend time with some of the only blood family he has left, and I will inform you when I bloody well consider it important!" He shouted back leaning forward in his chair, legs tensed to spring to his feet.

"You had no right, Harry! No right to do any of that without my permission." Andromeda snapped, slapping a hand on the table violently.

"I have every right, Andromeda! By wizarding law Teddy is _imy/i _son, blood or not. If I had realized that it would be this much of an issue I would have spoken to you ahead of time, but I didn't, and it's done with. Teddy has never been in any danger with the Malfoys, nor suffered any emotional damage and your accusations are completely unfounded." He said coldly as he slowly rose to his feet.

"I will not stand for you falsely accusing any of the Malfoys of present wrongdoing or of the future intent of wrongdoing toward my family. Draco is my friend and more, Narcissa has welcomed Teddy, welcomed all of us into her home with open arms, and Lucius has been kind and considerate to _iall/i _of the children. If you are going to continue besmirching them, then I am going to ask you to leave and return when you are no longer dwelling in the past." His voice rang with finality and Andromeda knew she'd long over stepped her bounds.

If there were things Harry didn't tolerate above all others, they were the implication of any kind of neglect of his children on his part and unprovoked attacks on those he cared for when they could not defend themselves. She'd made a grave mistake in her overreaction; in her old angers and bitterness, in her fears.

"Alright, Harry." She whispered, sounding strangled in the thick air of the kitchen and stood from her chair. "I'll just collect Teddy and we'll go."

"No."

She looked up at him with an uncomprehending frown. "What?"

"Teddy stays here, with me." He stated in no uncertain terms. "I consider him to be, and he is by law, my son. I think it would be better if he wasn't around while you work things out. He stays with me."

Andromeda felt her protests choke her and she simply stared at him in shock.

"When you are ready to talk, when you are resolved, we can discuss him then, but for now he stays with me." Harry repeated.

She felt numb, but Andromeda knew that it was probably best. Harry was fully within his rights in the Wizarding World as godfather and Teddy loved it at Grimmauld. Teddy loved Harry.

Fidgeting, she stepped away from the table and began backing away toward the fireplace. "Alright, Harry." She murmured, not looking at him. "I'm sorry."

"I am, too." He sighed looked very tired and regretful. "Come back soon, Andromeda." He said trying to soften the harsh cruelty of the situation.

She flashed him a rueful smile as she made it to floo. "Will you tell Teddy that I'll- that I'll be visiting soon?"

Harry nodded and was about to add something more, to offer some apology for the way things had escalated, had ended, but he was stopped by a small voice from the doorway leading into the rest of the house.

"Grandma?"

Both adults spun around to see Teddy standing just inside the kitchen with Nova and Stella wrapped comfortingly around his neck, his face pale and sad.

"I hope you come back soon." He said softly, sounding much younger than he was wont to do.

Andromeda felt herself blanch then flush with shame. How much had he heard? It didn't matter, she realized, as she looked at his mousy brown hair and into his dull amber eyes. He'd heard enough.

"I'll be back, sweetheart." She assured him with strained smile.

He took a step, hesitated then unwound his snakes from his neck and held them out for Harry to take before he hurried forward and wrapped his arms around her middle.

"I love you, Grandma." He said in a small voice.

Blinking back tears she held him tightly for a moment before pulling back and stroking a hand over his dark messy hair. "I love you too, Teddy." She stepped away and took a pinch of floo powder from the jar sitting on the mantle. Slipping into the fireplace she spared a look at Harry and watery smile for Teddy. "Be good for Harry, and I'll see you soon."

Then she was gone in a flurry of green flames.

Harry felt his heart heavy in his gut as he stared at his godson with his unhappy brown hair and his slumped shoulders. Nova and Stella sat silent around his shoulders as he stepped toward him.

"Teddy?" He called placing a tentative hand on the little boy's shoulder.

"I'm alright, Harry." He said quietly as he turned around and buried his face in Harry's stomach for a moment, before pulling back and stepping away. "I'm gonna go to my room now." He mumbled and bolted for the door.

Harry remained silent and could hear him pounding up the stairs. Collapsing against the kitchen table, Harry looked down at the two sad snakes around his neck and asked, _"How long had he been there?"_

_"The whole time, Serpent Lord."_ Nova answered with a mournful sigh.

_"Poor little Chameleon."_ Stella moaned and laid her head down on top her brother's dejectedly.

Blowing out a stressed breath, Harry combed his fingers through his bangs again and leaned his head back. "Great." He muttered. "Just great."

"Do you think one of us should go up and talk to him?"

Harry lifted his head and saw Draco standing in the open kitchen door, his body framed in the afternoon light and his expression rueful.

"No, Teddy will want to be left alone." Harry answered. "He's the kind of kid that won't talk until he's absolutely ready."

Draco blew out a breath and walked into the kitchen, coming to a stop directly in front of Harry. "That was-... a very intense argument." He commented blandly. "Was it what you expected from her?"

Harry let out a sound that was somewhere between a groan and whimper before letting his forehead fall to press against Draco's chest. "I'm not really sure. I didn't think it was going to be quite that hurtful, but I figured it wasn't going to be all roses and hearts."

A flicker of amusement creased at Draco's eyes as he lifted his hands and began to stroke them through Harry's hair soothingly. "Roses and hearts, Potter?"

"You know what I mean." Harry grumbled as he pressed his face more firmly against Draco's chest and inhaled his perpetually cookie flavored scent. He felt the snakes shift and begin slithering down his body to the table then the floor. They were probably going to Teddy's room, Harry thought, feeling glad for their presence.

"I know, Harry. Are you alright?" Draco asked leaning down to press his lips against the top of Harry's messy head, his fingers still moving gently through his hair.

"I don't know. I didn't think she was still so -stuck-, you know." He shrugged halfheartedly. "She and Ted had some issues with Remus, but I didn't realize they still held bearing for her, or that she would still fear people's reactions to Teddy's parentage."

"It's a valid concern, Harry." Draco told him honestly, shifting obligingly when Harry's arms wound around his waist to pull him closer. "A lot of the old pure-blood families still have the same prejudices, and a lot of the Wizarding World still have the same fears. But I do think her mistrust in your judgment was unwarranted."

"I know about the prejudices and the fears, but I can't believe that Andromeda would think I could so oblivious or blasé about it." He muttered. "I would sooner rip out my heart than subject any child to that sort of unpleasantness willingly."

Draco sighed and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck comfortingly. "I know, Harry, and I'm sure she knows that too. Being disowned and estranged from your family instills a certain hurt and distrust that is hard to look passed. I'm not surprised Andromeda's not willing to assume the best of us considering. Give her some time, okay?"

"Okay." Harry mumbled unhappily. He understood, he really did, but hearing all those things just brought back so much anger and frustration that he hadn't really felt in ten years.

Pulling back enough so he could look up into Draco's face, he asked, "So, how much did you hear?"

"Pretty much all of it." Draco admitted unrepentantly. "Did you really expect me not to eavesdrop?"

Harry snorted and stroke his hands up and down Draco's back. "No. Did the kids hear?"

"No." He shook his head. "They were busy stalking that God awful gnome. Why do you let him camp in your yard, anyway?"

"The children like waging war on him and I'm inclined to think he likes it too. Did you know Teddy was listening?" He asked.

"No." Draco replied firmly. "I didn't see him until just near the end, but I think he'd been listening since the beginning."

"Mm." Harry agreed absently, suddenly feeling drained and lethargic in Draco's arms. "Nova said they'd been listening the whole time."

"Did you and Andromeda say anything you didn't want him to know, or hadn't already told him?" He asked curiously, somewhat worried. He didn't care that everyone knew about his family's past political allegiances, but he was worried that if Harry's kids didn't know they would react badly.

Harry shifted and looked off to the side. "He knew that his dad was a werewolf and knew that the Wizarding World still doesn't view them in a favorable light, but everything about his grandparents not approving of his dad and about your family was new."

Draco placed a hand under Harry's chin and pulled his face around to look at him. "You didn't tell your kids that we were enemies?" He asked incredulously.

"They know about the war, but I haven't told them about your family's part in it. It hadn't really crossed my mind to tell you the truth. And besides, they know that we hated each other in school anyway." Harry said defensively.

Draco just sighed and leaned his forehead against Harry's in resignation. He should have known dating Harry Potter would be hazardous to his sanity.

"You told Scorpius about the war, then?" Harry inquired neutrally.

"Yes." Draco answered dryly. "He knows everything. That Father was once the Dark Lord's right hand man, that I was given the task to kill Dumbledore, that we were imprisoned in our own home and I was forced to torture and kill people." His breath hitched and he paused.

"He knows that Mother saved your life." He continued quietly. "That you saved mine. He knows all of that. Even that the only reason we aren't in Azkaban is because you testified on our behalf." Draco finished softly.

Harry watched his face, his eyes for a long moment before he leaned up and captured his lips in a warm kiss. "I'm glad I testified for you." He murmured against Draco's mouth before tugging on his bottom lip with his teeth.

"Fuck." Draco gasped, then let out a breathy chuckle. "I am, too."

Harry's lips turned up for a split second in a grin before he slid a hand behind Draco's neck and pulled him in, deepening their kiss.

Their lips moved against each other and their tongues stroked and petted for a long while until they were rather unceremoniously interrupted.

"Yu-uck!" James exclaimed overly loudly from the kitchen door.

"Eeeew!" Albus drawled in mock disgust. "That's gross!"

"Da-ad! Har-ry! Stop snogging! We don't want to see it!" Scorpius moaned in protest.

"Shut up, you stupid-heads! I think it's sweet!" Lily scolded them, her pretty little face pinched in annoyance at the boys for being so very immature.

Draco and Harry just stood there for a moment with surprised blank looks on their faces before Draco snorted with laughter and buried his face in Harry's shoulder.

"Oh my God! Our kids caught us necking in the kitchen." He groaned between chuckles.

"They don't seem too upset." Harry observed as the boys all began making exaggerated icky faces and pretending to gag good naturedly while Lily smacked them for being "unromantic".

Good lord, where did his five year-old daughter learn about things like romanticism? He was suddenly very afraid for when she hit puberty.

"I think they're more amused than bothered by it." Harry smirked in amusement.

Draco sighed and pulled his face away to look at Harry wryly. "I guess we should be glad it wasn't my parent's catching us snogging. Now, that would have been truly embarrassing."

A shudder racked through Harry's frame before he threw his had back and laughed. "Right, well. Let's get those cookies out of the oven so the kids can think about other things besides us snogging."

Draco laughed and pulled away to do just that.

* * *

Teddy laid awake in bed that night, his bedroom window open to let in the late spring breeze and bathe his room in moonlight. He glanced out at the dark night sky and stared at the moon, the full moon.

Nova and Stella had slithered under his door hours ago and now sat curled on his belly fast asleep. When they'd first come back to him, they'd hissed and sighed and swayed in ways that Teddy just knew they were saying things meant to comfort and reassure. He appreciated the effort even if he couldn't understand them.

He'd never seen Harry quite that mad before. Not even when he and James had broken the window in the front parlor playing with his practice Snitch. He'd also never heard him talk about the war before either. Oh, he'd talk about it in broad terms like "a dark wizard wanted to get rid of non-pure-bloods", and "I was the only one who could stop him".

Of course, his grandmother had told him things in a little more detail. She told him that Harry had been born to a prophecy, that he had to die to kill Voldemort, that the Death Eaters had been Voldemort's followers, and his parents had died in the Final Battle where Voldemort fell.

Everybody knew that stuff though. Grandma-Molly had told them the stories about Harry and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione while they were in school, but a lot of the bad stuff, a lot of the stuff about the Death Eaters and what it was like during the war was never talked about.

And what about Draco? He thought, still staring up at the moon.

His grandmother had said that Draco and his family were Death Eaters and Harry hadn't denied it. The Malfoys couldn't be bad, though. They were so nice, and Harry believed they weren't dangerous at all. And he liked the them, too. Draco was completely awesome, and Miss Cissy was so kind, and Mister Malfoy was, well, not _nice_, but cool, impressive. And Scorpius was the best; Teddy wanted him for a brother like he wanted James and Albus and even Lily.

He rolled over dislodging the sleeping snakes and curled up facing the window. He remembered what Harry had said about his grandma and grandpa not approving of his dad when his parents got married. Was that true? It must be. Werewolves were feared these days and before and during the war even more so. What had it been like for his parents to get married and have him in the middle a war?

His mind was silent for a time until an echo of his grandmother saying those things about Miss Cissy and Mister Malfoy made him scowl. He'd known that Narcissa and his grandmother knew each other, had guessed at least, but he hadn't even considered that they'd be sisters. Why didn't they like each other anymore? Why did his grandmother hate her family so much?

Ugh! It was all too much. Teddy sniffled realizing that his eyes had begun to tear and wiped at them furiously with the back of his hand. It felt like he didn't know anything anymore. It was frustrating and it hurt to realized that there were things about his family that his grandmother and Harry hadn't told him.

The only good thing about any of this was that he got to stay with Harry now.

A small smile flicked at his lips before melting away leaving behind a calmness, if not happiness. Harry thinks of him like a son. Well, that's good because Teddy loves him like his dad too. At least that's a good thing. Maybe he can call him "Dad" now.

His bedroom door creaked open and Teddy looked over his shoulder to see James in his Snitch pajamas standing nervously in the doorway.

He wiped at his face one more time, to make sure it was dry before giving him a tiny smile. "Hi."

James smiled back and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Hey. What happened today?" He asked.

Teddy huffed out a breath and scooted toward the window to make room for James, pushing his irritably sleepy snakes nearly off the bed in the process. "Harry and my grandma got in a fight." He said quietly so their voices wouldn't travel.

Climbing on the bed, James wriggled under the covers and curled up facing Teddy. "What did they fight about? You didn't come down to dinner."

It was true. When Harry had knocked on his door for dinner he'd ignored him and gone without. Now that he remembered that though, he wished he hadn't skipped it.

"Grandma didn't know that Harry was friends with Draco and that we'd visited the Manor with him." Teddy answered simply.

James frowned in confusion. "What does that matter?"

Teddy shrugged and gave him a shortened version of the fight as an explanation. "That's why she was so mean." He finished.

The other boy looked thoughtful for a moment. "You mean the Malfoys were Death Eaters and fought for Voldemort?"

"That's what grandma said and Harry didn't say she was wrong." Teddy confirmed. "Are you worried about that now?" He asked.

"Not really." James replied truthfully enough. "They've always been nice to us, and Dad wouldn't let us near them if they were dangerous."

"That's what I thought, too." He agreed. "But I'm more worried about why Grandma is so angry with them. Do you think they were really awful during the war?"

"I don't know." He said. "I don't think so, I mean they're not in Azkaban, are they?"

"No." Teddy agreed. "I think we need to find out exactly what they did during the war." He announced.

"What do you mean? Dad killed Voldemort and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione helped him, that's it." James frowned.

"No, no. I mean, we need to find out what the Malfoys did. Why my grandma is so angry at Miss Cissy, and why she thinks that they wouldn't be nice to us, to me." He explained.

James thought about that for a moment. "I guess you're right, but how would we find any of that out without asking the adults for help? You know they'd try and tell us the 'kid friendly' version of everything." He sneered, his face scrunching in familiar disgust.

He was right. How would they go about researching the war without getting the adults involved? "I think we're going to need help." He said.

Teddy looked James in the eyes and he immediately understood perfectly. "Who do you have in mind?" He asked.

"Albus and Lily, definitely." They both nodded in complete agreement. Teddy bit his lip debating with himself, then finally reached a decision. "And Scorpius too. He'll be able to get things from his family's side that we wouldn't be able to get."

James's turned his eyes to Teddy's and he raised a questioning eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Draco and Mister Malfoy. Teddy couldn't help it. He giggled at the sight of it, but calmed when James started to speak.

"Are you sure about him?" James asked. "You'd have to tell him about Dad and Aunt Dromeda's fight." He warned.

Teddy nodded assuredly. Scorpius was a master schemer and he was a bit of a bookworm like Albus. He'd know what to look for, and how to get it without the adults getting suspicious.

"Alright." James said with finality. "How do you think we should do this?"

He thought about that. How would they even know where to begin?

"Family tree?" He suggested. "Dad's godfather was Sirius Black, right?" He started, but just rolled his eyes when James gave him a look that said quite plainly, "duh".

"Okay, right." He continued. "Dad said that Sirius was my cousin through Grandma, so we should start looking at the Black family." He said.

"Alright." James nodded. "Where do we look for that, then?"

They looked at each other and groaned. "The library."

"Man! I hate having to go in there. It's all dusty and smells like parchment." James sniffed in disgust.

Teddy rolled his eyes again. "You just don't like it cause you know if you go in there you'll have to read something. Besides, it's supposed to smell like parchment, that's what books are made out of."

"Yeah, well. We'll make Albus and Lily do all the reading." He grumbled.

Of course, Teddy didn't argue with that. They'd always been better at researching for stuff than him and James. Aunt Hermione was always gushing about it.

"We'll talk to Scorpius about what he knows next time we see him." Teddy yawned, suddenly feeling very tired. "He might know more than we do."

"Good idea." James said as he rolled onto his back to get comfortable. "I hope we can figure out why Aunt Dromeda was so mad. Maybe then we can fix it."

Teddy was quiet for a time, then mumbled, "I hope so, too. I like the Malfoys and I want her to like them, too. It would suck if she hates them when Harry and Draco get married."

Turning his head just enough to look at him, James asked, "You really think Dad and Draco'll get married?"

"I hope they do." He replied. "I'd like Draco to be my dad like Harry."

James looked back up at the ceiling. He hadn't considered that if Harry and Draco do fall in love and get married then it would be like having two parents again. He didn't know if you could have two dads, but since Draco could have babies maybe it would work.

If that was true then he could almost be like a mum.

A jolt of pain lanced through his chest. James missed his mum, but not as much as he probably should, he realized. It more like he missed the things a mum would do for you. Like give you hugs, and make you cookies and pancakes, like patch you up when you get hurt, and hold you when you're sad. Draco did those things, he realized, and so did his dad really.

He lifted his hand up and looked at the healing pink scar on his index from where the garden gnome had scored a lucky bite. Draco had healed it for him with a special potion he'd made. And Draco had made cookies that day too and always hugged them all when he saw them.

His dad hugged them too, and made pancakes for breakfast. James blushed a little and remembered when his dad had held him while he cried just after his mum had left.

You can have two dads, he decided. And if one of those dads can have babies, then that's just an added bonus.

Grinning, he flicked his eyes over to see if Teddy was still awake. He was, just rolled onto his back as well and staring up at the moon.

"I want Draco to be one of my dads, too." He whispered and was rewarded with a small flash of a smile from Teddy.

"Yeah," he sighed, still staring at the moon. "That would be great."

* * *

TBC...


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 5,154  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval makes Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies Houseboat (1958) and Yours, Mine, and Ours (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching Houseboat and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Eleven*****

"Alright." Albus declared as he slammed a stack of books onto the thick, heavy wooded library table. "These need looking at."

James stared wide eyed at the mountain of dictionary sized books. He whimpered.

"It's not that hard, James." Lily chimed in from across the table. "Just look for the names Tonks, Lupin, Black, or Malfoy."

He looked at her incredulously. "You're kidding. These books are bloody huge!"

"Ummummumm!" She taunted. "You said a bad word, I'm going to tell on you...," she grinned evilly, "_if_ you don't help us research."

James's mouth fell open. "You're going to blackmail me?"

Lily just shrugged unconcerned. She didn't really know what "blackmail" meant, but if letting James think she was going to do it got him to help research then she wasn't going to tell him different.

Watching the exchange from his place leaning against a bookcase, Teddy just shook his head. Lily could be right scary sometimes, when it came to her ability to manipulate. No wonder she and Scorpius got along so well. They were both masters at it.

"If Lily can't blackmail you into helping then I'll put toads in your bed, now get to researching!" Albus ordered, quite forcefully.

"Alright, alright. I'm getting to it." James grumbled under his breath as he took the first book off the top.

Sighing, Teddy pushed away from the bookcase and headed for the table. It would go faster if everyone helped, he knew.

They didn't find much. One Dark Wizard on the Malfoy side wrecked mayhem sometime in the fourteenth century, one witch was convicted of human sacrifice in the sixteenth century, and a whole bunch scattered throughout were awarded various metals and honors for services to the Ministry and such.

The only thing worth noting in the Malfoy family was that Lucius Malfoy had been, at one point, one of Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters. After Voldemort disappeared the first time, Lucius had escaped prosecution by claiming to have been serving him under Imperious.

Of course, then the kids got sidetracked and Albus was forced to look up exactly what the Imperious curse was and how Lucius got off by claiming he was subjected to it.

That information found, they returned to information about Lucius and soon knew about his leading a group of Death Eaters to the Ministry to steal the Prophecy, his subsequent stint in Azkaban, his escape, and then his and his family's denouncement of the Dark Lord during the Final Battle.

"Wow. Mister Malfoy actually went to Azkaban." James breathed, not sure if he was impressed or terrified at the thought.

"Yeah," Albus murmured. "And that was when they still had Dementors as guards there."

James shivered. "I wonder how he didn't go insane. I heard if you stay around Dementors long enough you go completely crazy."

Teddy scoffed and nudged him with an elbow. "You heard that from Uncle Ron."

"Yeah, well, he'd know, wouldn't he? He's an Auror." He muttered.

"I don't believe Mister Malfoy would ever follow such a horrible wizard like Voldemort." Lily scowled, sounding insulted at the very idea.

"Believe it Lily." Albus shot back unsympathetically. "Dad didn't deny that the Malfoys were Death Eaters and it says it right here that he was caught red-handed at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries."

"Still," she persisted petulantly, "Mister Malfoy's too nice to be really bad, right?" She asked a little uncertainly.

The boys all traded looks, but the only answer they could come up with was to shrug. They really didn't know how bad you had to be to be a Death Eater.

"At least it says he switched sides in the Final Battle." James suggested, weakly. "What kept him out of Azkaban after that though? Wouldn't people have thought he was lying like he did before?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know." Albus shrugged. "We'll have to keep reading."

And they did. They read all the through the rest of Lucius's entry and then started on Draco's without stopping until they hit the end of that one too.

"Shit." James breathed once they'd finished. Lily didn't even scold him for cursing, she just stared blankly at the book pages and nodded.

"That's-..." Albus trailed off then blinked, "really really ironic."

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked with a frown. "How is Draco being ordered to kill Dumbledore and let Death Eaters into Hogwarts ironic?"

Albus tisked in irritation and shook his head. "Not that part, stupid. I meant the part about how one of the guys I'm named after killed the other guy I'm named after."

"Oh. Well, yeah, that is a bit ironic." He agreed.

"Even so," Albus took a deep breath. "That's not what we're looking for."

"Right." James nodded then turned the conversation back on track. "Alright, so Draco nearly killed Dumbledore and let Death Eaters into Hogwarts. What do we think about that?" He asked in an uncharacteristically sensitive move.

"I think Voldemort shouldn't have ordered a kid to kill anyone." Lily sniffed indignantly. "Draco was just doing it so that Voldemort wouldn't kill his parents."

"You're right." James pursed his lips in determination. "I'm sure Draco didn't realize just how horrible Voldemort was when he became a Death Eater. I mean, his dad was in Azkaban so he couldn't very well warn him, could he?" He declared receiving generally too enthusiastic nods of agreement.

They were all quiet for a time, then Albus murmured, "I wonder if they still have their Dark Marks."

"I would think so." Teddy said. "It's like a tattoo, right? Those are permanent." They all seemed to be thinking about and trying to remember if they had ever glimpsed a skull and snake on Draco or Lucius's left arms. Soon they realized that they hadn't because neither man was ever in anything, but long sleeves.

"So, Lucius and Draco were Death Eaters. That part's true at least, and now we know what they did during the war, but why does Dad trust them?" James asked.

"Because he told everybody Miss Cissy saved his life and that Mister Malfoy and Draco didn't want to be Death Eaters anymore." Lily answered promptly and with absolute certainty.

"That's right. Dad testified for them at their trial." Teddy nodded. "But what does that have to do with Grandma hating them so much?"

They looked at each and when no one had an answer they shrugged.

"Guess it's back to the books then." James grumbled morosely.

They read dry passage after dry passage, monotonous entry after monotonous entry and still learning nothing they didn't already know or that didn't have any baring on their purpose whatsoever.

The only thing remotely interesting they found was an article in one book that talked about the "notorious mass-murder, Sirius Black". They read the passage and frowned.

"That's horrible! How could they think that Dad's godfather would betray his best friends and then blow up a bunch of muggles?" Demanded Lily, angry tears making her eyes twinkle dangerously.

"Don't you remember Dad telling us that story about Sirius?" James asked, rubbing his sister's back warily, trying to keep her from bursting into tears.

Lily sniffled, her breath hitching. "N-no."

"No body knew that it was really Peter, their other friend, that betrayed them except Sirius, but when he tried to catch him, Peter faked his death and killed all those muggles to frame Sirius." Teddy told her. "Then Sirius broke out of Azkaban to keep Peter from hurting Dad."

She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "He got out of jail, then? He was free?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He didn't tell her that Sirius spent the last two years of his life on the lamb and locked inside the house. She would just start crying again.

James caught his attention, then caught Albus's and meaningfully closed the book in front of him.

"I don't think there's anything more we can look up with these." Albus said, catching James's hint. "We'll have to wait until we go to Manor and talk to Scorpius."

None of them wanted Lily to get upset if they found more unpleasant things in their family's history. Plus, they'd been at it for hours and Lily was still young enough to get cranky when she was tired. Or at least, that's what they told themselves so they wouldn't have to admit that all this reading about bad stuff happening to people they knew was getting to them too.

They put all the books up and left the library to grab a snack before heading off to entertain themselves separately, the up coming visit to Malfoy Manor always at the forefront of their minds.

* * *

"I really don't know all that much." Scorpius shrugged as they all sat around on the floor of his sitting room. "I don't know how I can help you."

"Yeah, but your dad actually told you about the war, though, right?" James persisted. They'd just told Scorpius everything and were slightly disappointed at his answer. "I bet you know more about it than we do."

Scorpius cringed at that and looked away. "Yeah, I know more than you know." He muttered, not sounding particularly happy about it.

Albus frowned at his friend's discomfort and scooted closer to him. "What do you mean?"

Flicking guarded gray eyes toward him, he shrugged. "My dad actually told me what it was like, during the war. What Voldemort made him do." Pausing he began to fidget with his fingers until Albus reached over and grabbed one of his hands and squeezed reassuringly.

"It wasn't nice." He continued, flashing Albus a grateful smile. "What you guys read, that was just the major events. And it was little cleaned up, too."

Teddy and James exchanged a puzzled looked. "How much did your dad tell you?" Teddy asked.

"Oh! He didn't go into details or anything." Scorpius reassured them. "Just told me stuff that wasn't put into any of the newspapers or history books."

"Like what?" James asked impatiently. It was starting to freak him out, how so totally unhappy Scorpius looked about telling them this stuff. Could it really be that bad?

"Don't be mean, James." Lily scolded before crawling across the floor to sit next to Scorpius and wrapping an arm round his shoulders. "It's alright, Scorp. You don't have to tell us." She said soothingly.

"Nah, it's alright." He gave her a small smile. "I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone. My dad doesn't really want everyone to know."

"We won't tell anyone, Scorpius." Teddy assured him.

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "Alright, well, what a lot of people don't know is that Voldemort used the Manor as a kind of headquarters during the Second War. He kept prisoners in our dungeons and let his Death Eaters stay in our house."

"Wait! You have a dungeon?" James asked incredulously.

"Your grandfather let other Death Eaters stay here?" Teddy asked, in disbelief.

"He didn't really have much of a choice." Scorpius told them. "Voldemort threatened to kill them if they didn't follow along. He tortured and taunted them even then." He paused and seemed to be gathering his thoughts.

"He would make my dad torture people." He whispered sounding tortured himself for what his father was forced to do. "He wouldn't tell me much more than that, but that's pretty awful anyway."

"Yeah." Teddy breathed seeming to have all the air sucked out of him. "Wow."

"That's horrible." Lily murmured leaning her head against Scorpius's shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"Mm." He squeezed Albus's hand that was still holding his and continued. "Voldemort kept two of Dad's classmates that fought for the Light side and Ollivander, the wand maker, in the dungeon. It was Dad's job to guard and take care of them. At one point, your dad and Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were captured and brought here. Dad was forced to identify them to make sure it was really them before they were handed over to Voldemort, but Dad said he couldn't really tell if it was them or not." He shrugged.

"An old family house-elf that had been freed helped them escape." He finished.

They were quiet for a time, then Albus asked, "Is that all that he told you? Nothing about what would make Aunt Dromeda dislike your family so much?"

"No." Scorpius shook his head sadly. "He told me more about the Final Battle, but other than that nothing that would make her hate us."

"Do you know where we could look for an answer?" Teddy asked, sounding somewhat desperate. He needed to know! His grandma hated the only other blood family he had, but he liked them and he just wanted her and Harry not to fight again.

"Well," Scorpius waffled reluctantly. "We could look in my grandpa's study. He usually keeps all the stuff about the family in there."

There was an uncomfortable silence where everyone remembered when Lucius had caught them spying on their dads. They, none of them, were particularly eager to jump at the chance to sneak into the man's personal study.

But this could be his only chance to find out what had happened, Teddy thought desperately. He glanced up with a look of determination that they all knew well. "We'll do it." He said.

A short planning session later, the five of them were sneaking down the stairs to the second floor. Scorpius went first seeing as how he knew where to go, then Albus, Lily, James, and last, Teddy. They crept through the hall in a straight line constantly looking over their shoulders for any sign of Lucius or anyone else that might give up their game.

Slowly and painstakingly silently, they moved until Scorpius held up a hand signaling them to stop. He looked up the hall and down the hall before pointing at the door they'd stop by and whispering, "This is it."

Placing his ear against it, Scorpius listened for any sign of life inside. It was completely quiet, so he gingerly turned the handle and pushed the door inward. There was plenty of light streaming in from the bay windows and the whole room was illuminated.

Quickly the door was pushed all the way open, and all five of them scurried inside.

They leaned against the door after they closed it and just stared wide eyed around the study in fear and excitement. The adrenaline pumping in their veins made them just the tad bit dizzy. This was, by far, the scariest thing they had ever done.

"Okay." Scorpius breathed. "Teddy, James, watch the door. If Grandpa comes back or a house-elf sees us we're all dead." The two oldest boys nodded with grim faces and turned to the door cracking it open so they could see down the hall in both direction.

"Albus, Lily, you're going to be looking through those books. Look for anything about family history or with the Black name on it." He instructed. They nodded and went off in different directions reading each and every title on the shelved books.

Lily had to stand on one of the wing-back chairs to see the books on the third shelf.

"And me," Scorpius nearly whimpered. "I'll be checking his desk." The other children all snapped around to look at him in horror, then gave him looks of respect and understanding.

Carefully, he moved toward the monster, dark wooded desk and tentatively began lifting papers up and gently putting them back down when none of them held anything they wanted. He made it all the way through the loose papers on top of the desk and apprehensively started on the drawers.

The thin one top and center held various business tools; quills, ink, wax, several different kinds of wax stamps, and quite a few instruments Scorpius had never seen before. He moved on to the next drawer and only found parchment and stationary. The next, though, when he tried to open it he found that it was completely stuck.

He grunted and pulled harder, but the drawer didn't budge an inch. He jiggled it and yanked, to no avail. Finally he grabbed it with both hands and braced a foot on the desk leg and pulled so hard he though his arms would pop off.

"Hey!" He called quietly. "Help me get this drawer open. It's stuck!"

Albus and Lily hurried over to him and began pulled and pushing and jiggling, but nothing happened. "Why won't it open?" Lily asked as she panted from exhaustion.

"I don't know." Scorpius huffed.

"What're you guys doing?" James whispered from his place by the door.

"This drawer is stuck." Albus gestured at it. "Come help us get it open."

Teddy and James quickly joined the fray putting their collective strength behind the effort. And absolutely nothing happened. It didn't even creak.

"What is wrong with this stupid drawer?"

"Oh, nothing, really." Drawled a dryly amused voice from behind them. "Its spelled to stay closed unless I specifically tell it to open."

They all jumped in surprise and spun around to find Lucius Malfoy tapping his snake head cane on his chin, a wry smirk in his lips.

"Well, well, well." He murmured mockingly. "What have we here? Why, I think it's five young children trying to look into places they aren't meant to see."

The children blanched and shifted nervously.

"I do believe, Scorpius," said Lucius, all humor suddenly gone, "that I warned you once before about spying."

"But we weren't spying!" He exclaimed, frantic to minimize the vast about of damage already done.

"You weren't?" Lucius asked in false astonishment. "Then, pray tell, what were you doing?"

"We were looking for information." Scorpius answered, then immediately cringed.

"That's what spying is, Scorpius." He said, voice cold and hard.

"No! We weren't trying to spy on you, Grandpa!" Cried Scorpius. "Honest! We were looking for information about Teddy's grandmother." He blurted, then promptly slapped a shamed hand over his mouth, eyes wide. His grandfather could always make him tell him anything he wanted.

Lucius reeled back a mere fraction before turning his light gray eyes on Teddy. He stared at him unblinkingly for a long moment, making the poor boy fidget and long to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans.

Turning his frightening gaze back onto his grandson he asked, "And why were you looking for information on her in my desk?"

The kids all glanced at each other then back at Lucius and slumped in defeat.

Ten minutes later, Lucius had conjured thee more chairs and was now sitting behind his desk, leaning back, elbows resting on his armrests, and hands folded together above his lap.

The children each sat in a chair by themselves and very studiously did not look at him, preferring instead to stare at their own feet or the Persian rug.

"Now that we are all relatively comfortable, why don't you start at the beginning." He suggested lightly.

They stayed silent for a moment, until Teddy lifted his head and began to explain.

Lucius listened to what he was sure was a much less insulting version of the a supposed fight that Potter had with his wife's disowned sister with much interest. Then he listened to the boy explain how they went searching for information on his own involvement, and that of his son's, in the war.

Truly, he was amazed at just what the children had thought they could accomplish without help from knowledgeable adults. Then again, he was ever aware of how he himself withheld details from his son when he was asked uncomfortable questions.

It was meant as a way to spare the children something unpleasant, but Lucius could see that in some cases it was better to be entirely too blunt than to be sprinkling sugar left and right.

He waited until the boy seemed to run out of words then simply sat watching the children fidget while he collected his own thoughts.

"First off," he began in a formal voice, "I will commend you all on your efforts to obtain this information yourselves. As it is, you have learned more than I would have thought you'd be able to. I am," he let the corner of his mouth turn up wryly, "impressed."

Scorpius gave a little gasp as his eyes grew three sizes. His grandpa was never impressed by anything!

"However," he continued turning his head away to give the children a reprieve from his stare, "your research is incomplete and I do not take kindly to the idea that you thought you would be aloud to snoop around in my study." He sneered and turned his sharp gaze on his grandson before looking away again.

"Because you have chosen to try and obtain this information on your own, I will reward your maturity and," he quirked an amused eyebrow running his gaze over the Potter children, "intelligence by answering your questions for you."

Teddy's mouth dropped open before he stop himself. "You will?" He asked, astonished.

Lucius smirked and nodded. "You have earned it."

He let them turn and look at each other in surprise before calling their attention back to him.

"Now, in answer to your first concern. My son and I were indeed Death Eaters in the service of the Dark Lord during the Second War." He began. "My son was inducted and given an impossible task as was meant to punish me and my wife for our failures. We were supposed to watch him fail at his task then die for his incompetence." He folded his arms on top of his desk before continuing.

"He failed to kill Albus Dumbledore, as you read, but he succeeded in helping Death Eaters enter Hogwarts. Because Severus Snape completed his task for him he was spared." His eyes fell on Albus for a moment, thinking back on the boys name sakes. "Severus Snape was a spy. Dumbledore engineered his own death with Severus so that my son would not have to commit murder." He paused seeming lost in his own mind for a moment then shook himself and returned to the present.

"I have done many terrible things." He said, the children listening raptly. "Some of them, I regret deeply. Some of them, I do not. Many people hate me for the power I held in the Ministry before the Second War. Many people hate me for the prejudice I held for half-breeds, muggle-borns, muggles, and creatures I viewed as inferior to my own kind. Of course, many people also hate me because I was a Death Eater and, at one point, one of Voldemort's best." He looked at Teddy then. "I'm sure your grandmother hates me for all of these things."

"I don't hate you!" Lily piped up looked rather determined. "You're not bad anymore, and you're really nice to us, and- and- I like you!"

Taken aback, Lucius stared at her for a moment before he found his voice. "Thank you, Lily. I'm quite... fond of you as well."

She seemed satisfied with that and sat back in her seat.

There was silence again until Lucius recollected his thoughts and went on. "However, you are not really interested in why she might dislike me, you want to know why she would dislike her family." He said to Teddy.

The boy met his eyes and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Very well, then. I will tell you. Your grandmother was one of three sisters. The eldest was Bellatrix, then your grandmother, Andromeda, and finally my wife, Narcissa." He told them. "They belonged to the Black family which was once one of the oldest pure-blood wizard families in England. They held very tightly to their traditions and only married other pure-bloods. They, like a lot of the old families, held contempt for muggles and Muggle-borns."

Teddy listened not really knowing how he should feel about what Mister Malfoy was telling them.

"I believe that the Black family was known for disowning members that did not meet up to their family standard as pure-bloods. Your grandmother," Lucius nodded to Teddy, "was disowned for marrying a muggle-born, your grandfather, Theodore Tonks."

"They disowned her?" He asked bewildered.

"Yes." Lucius confirmed. "If I remember correctly, Wilberga Black struck her from the family tree. All ties were cut between your grandmother and her family, Narcissa and Bellatrix never saw or spoke to her again. They had not even met your mother, nor you until your godfather brought you here." He said.

Teddy was silent. "So, she doesn't like Miss Cissy because Miss Cissy stopped speaking to her when she married a my grandfather." He repeated trying to make sure he understood that correctly. "Why does Miss Cissy like me then, if her family disowned my grandma?" He asked.

"Ah. Now that is a more difficult question." Lucius smiled absently. "Narcissa and I have realized sometime ago that family is more important than blood purity. She wants to get to know her grand-nephew, and perhaps, in time, make amends with her sister."

"That's good" Teddy smiled, then frowned. "So, my grandma was upset because she thought you and Miss Cissy would be mean to me?"

Lucius smirked dryly. "I would assume so."

All the children were silent for a time then James made an inquiring sound. "So if Miss Cissy is Teddy's great-aunt, does that make you his great-uncle?"

He blinked, then chuckled self deprecatingly. "Yes, it would, by marriage. All pure-blood families are related in some way."

"Really?" Albus tilted his head in question.

"Yes." Lucius nodded. "I even believe that you are even related to the Blacks. Here, let me think." He tilted his head upward seeming to study something invisible above their heads. "If I remember correctly, Cedrella Black married a Septimus Weasley. They had two or three sons, one of them being your grandfather, Arthur Weasley."

He tapped a long finger on his chin and squinted trying to remember. "Then there was a Dorea Black that married a Charlus Potter. They would be your," he lifted a hand and counted silently on his fingers, "great-great-grandparents."

The kids all stared at him in amazement then their faces cracked in wide grins. "We're actually family!" Albus cheered.

"Hm. Yes, so we are." Lucius hummed in wry amusement. Not so long ago he would have despaired at being related to Potters and Weasleys. But, perhaps these Potter-Weasley offspring were not so bad.

"Can we call you Uncle Lucius?" Lily asked with an excited innocent smile.

The girl was adorable, he'd give her that, but still, he couldn't stop himself cringing. "I'd really rather you didn't."

James snorted then a sly look stole over his face. "What about Grandpa-Lucius?"

Lucius took in those guiling smiles that had suddenly pasted themselves to all five of the little heathens' faces and just knew that he was in over his head.

"Perhaps, you had better stick to Mister Malfoy." He suggested apprehensively.

"No, I like Grandpa-Lucius." Dear sweet manipulative Lily chimed in, a bright grin on her pretty little lips. "Cause when Daddy and Draco get married and have babies, you'll really be our grandpa."

"Lily!" Albus hissed and quickly slapped a hand over his little sister's mouth.

Lucius just stared at the girl as if she'd grown a second head. "I beg your pardon?"

"Um..." Teddy grimaced. "She didn't mean to say that."

"I dare say she meant to say exactly that." Lucius disagreed, still reeling. He looked from guilty face to guilty face with dawning comprehension. "What in God's name are you children scheming?" He demanded.

He knew that the children had engineered the broken floo and that they did it to throw their father's together. He knew that it had mostly worked and that Draco was already sickeningly in love with Potter and that Potter was totally clueless as to his own romantic demise, but he was not at all happy with the thought that the children were dabbling further into the love lives of their fathers.

Scorpius shifted nervously. "Um... At least we didn't use the house-elves?" He offered rather weakly when his grandfather's scowl fell on him.

Lucius took a deep breath and pierced each child with a stern glare. "I want an explanation, every single detail." The kids sat completely petrified. "Now!" He barked.

So the told him. Everything. From their wish for Draco and Harry to be their collective parents, to their want to be a family all under the same roof, to their hopeful dreaming of future siblings and their knowledge of Draco being a Matris. They left nothing out.

"Scorpius," Lucius said once the children had finished. "That is not something to be told outside of the family." He reminded, sounding rather tired. Perhaps he should be thankful he'd only ever had one child, he thought. He wouldn't have been able to survive more than one.

"I didn't tell them." Scorpius protested quietly. "Their snakes knew already and they asked me if it was true."

"Snakes? How could the snakes know?" He asked with a scowl.

"Belle said she tasted it." Lily supplied helpfully.

He sighed and rubbed at his temples. "Very well, very well." He waved a hand at them. "You children are frighteningly perceptive and frighteningly capable. Your fathers have my sympathies."

The children looked at each other, puzzled. "Are we in trouble?" James asked sceptically.

"No." Lucius replied giving up and twirling a lock of long silver hair around his finger absently. "No, I will not punish you. I dare say I'm even reluctantly proud of you all for executing such schemes as a snake chase in Diagon Alley to force your fathers to meet. Juvenile yet, effective."

"Are you going to tell them?" Albus asked worriedly.

Lucius snorted. "No. If they can't figure out your machinations on their own they deserve to be the objects of your plotting. Although, I will say that I don't think you will have to plot anymore. They seem quite hopelessly infatuated as it is. It would be unhealthy to exacerbate it." He told them companionably.

Scorpius looked at his grandfather doubtfully. "We can go then?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, yes. Leave. Be gone with you, hellions." Lucius chuckled waving at them. "Though I will caution you on any future plots that would involve attaining more siblings." He said. "I highly doubt either of your fathers will need any manipulating on that ground."

With several puzzled goodbyes and a hasty steps the children escaped the study and raced back to Scorpius's room leaving Lucius sitting at his desk very thoroughly diverted.

"Well, well." He drawled in near malicious amusement to his empty study. "Draco and Potter, what offspring you have born." He chuckled and twirled another lock of hair through his fingers idly. "'What you have done in your youth will come back to haunt you in your children tenfold', indeed."

* * *

TBC...


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 8,799  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Twelve*****

Maybe they were acting a little too much like horny teenagers, but with their mouths fused and their groins pressed painfully tight together neither Harry nor Draco could bring themselves to care. The kids were asleep in their rooms in the Manor and Draco's parents were discreetly nowhere to be found.

A gasp was ripped from him as Harry gripped his thighs in strong hands lifting him off the floor and pressing him back against his bedroom door. The fury and intensity just racketed up one hell of a notch and Draco felt a little bit like he was about to be consumed.

Harry was all fire and flame and tongue and teeth and hard thrusts and all Draco could do not to burn up with it all was to wrap his legs around Harry's waist, thread his fingers through his hair and ride it out.

The shuddering, gasping, panting completion had them both seeing sparks and feeling like their muscles were about to writhe right out of their skin.

Perhaps it was all worth feeling like a couple of extremely horny teenagers.

Draco leaned back against the door, sweat cooling against his skin, his arms wrapped around Harry as he leaned into him. There was a faint shaking in his limbs, their clothes felt too tight and sticky, and the feel of Harry's breath ghosting over the damp flesh of his throat made him shiver.

He felt almost numb in the aftermath of the storm they'd just endured.

"Alright." He breathed, turning his face to press his lips against Harry's temple and inhale his scent: sweat, and spice, and earth, and Harry. "So I haven't done that in a while, but not in so long that I can't remember that it hadn't ever been quite that intense."

Harry groaned in answer and shifted, pressing closer, one hand splayed against Draco's lower back, the other gripping Draco's thigh to keep him from sliding to the floor. "Haven't had any type of sex in..." he counted silently in his head, "since after Lily was born."

"Good lord." Draco muttered, moving one hand to press at the back of Harry's head as he began to nip and kiss his neck and throat once more. "No wonder you weren't that cut up about the Weaselette leaving you. Really, five years without sex?"

"Hn." Harry grunted and nuzzled his nose underneath Draco's ear. He just could not get enough of him. "Not for lack of trying." He murmured disinterestedly as he flicked his tongue over Draco's earlobe. "She pointed out that when we have sex she gets pregnant."

"That's what prophylactic spells are for." Draco sighed and leaned his head back to give Harry better access.

"'T's what I said. But she also pointed out that all three of our children were 'surprises' and that she didn't want any more kids." He latched his lips around the corner of Draco's jaw and nibbled. God, he tasted so good. Better than Ginny ever tasted.

"All three of them?" Draco gasped, there was a renewed stirring in his groin caused by the delicious things Harry was doing with his mouth. He cupped the back of his head encouragingly.

"Yep. All three of them." Harry said just before he seized Draco's mouth in a scorching kiss that shot off another round of sparks between them.

Eventually, they made it to the bed and curled up together mostly sated and mostly naked. They weren't quite ready to take that last step and actually have sex, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy one another in other ways.

Harry laid on his back with Draco pressed to his side, his head on his chest. He hands stroked up and down Draco's back lazily while Draco did the same with the hand he'd laid on Harry's chest.

"You know, Potter. I don't think I've had this much fun in a terribly long time." Draco said after pressing a kiss to Harry's chest under his cheek.

Harry snorted. "Me neither really." He said.

"I'm glad the kids are taking this so well." Draco murmured, turning his eyes up to see Harry's reaction.

"Me too." Harry agreed then noticed Draco watching him with a rather expectant expression. "What?"

Rolling his eyes, he asked, "You haven't noticed anything strange with them, have you?'

"What do you mean?" He frowned.

"I don't know," Draco drawled in amusement, "maybe perfectly good floos malfunctioning, or house-elves waxing floors three weeks before their supposed to, or Lily's snake leading you straight to my shop?"

Harry's mouth fell open for a moment before he snapped it shut again. "No." He breathed in equal parts amusement and horror.

"Mm." Draco grinned. "I had a little chat with Shotzy, our elf in charge of floo maintenance. It would seem that my son bribed him with choco-balls to render the floo useless for a night."

"You're kidding!" Harry laughed. "What about the floor waxing?"

"Tipsy requested half the choco-balls as compensation for the extra workload." Draco responded with a fierce grin on his lips.

"Wow." Harry chuckled. "Well, what about us meeting up at your shop, then? How did they engineer that?" He asked, sounding more impressed than put out.

"I suspect it had something to do with an owl my son received in the small hours of the morning the night before." He offered. "That and the fact that your daughter's snake just happened to stow away with her the next day and slither all the way from Quality Quidditch to my shop with unerring directions." He drawled.

"You know, now that you mention it," Harry grinned in amusement, "They had been acting really rather suspicious all that day before Belle took off."

"I'm sure." He muttered dryly. "Face it, Potter. Our kids were plotting against us."

Harry looked down at him with a distinctly tender expression. "I'm not really sure I mind all that much, Draco. Do you?"

He thought about that for a moment, then finally shook his head and wrapped his arm more securely around Harry's middle. "Not really, no. I'm more impressed with how well they pulled it off. That's master scheming, Harry, of the Slytherin level." He grinned teasingly.

Harry shrugged and smiled back. "I don't really mind. Slytherins have their good points, too."

Draco's eyebrow quirked in curiosity. "You wouldn't mind if one of your kids got Sorted into Slytherin?"

"Nah." He lifted a hand to sift through Draco's disheveled hair before continuing. "I was almost in Slytherin, so I can't really complain if one of them gets Sorted there."

"_You _were almost in Slytherin?" He asked in disbelief.

Harry shrugged again, pinking in the cheeks a little. "The Hat said I would do well there," he explained, "said 'Slytherin would help me on my way to greatness'."

"What made it put you in Gryffindor, then?" Draco asked quietly.

He grinned down at the blond curled against his chest. "I'd only ever heard that all the Dark wizards came out of Slytherin and then I met you and you were the snottiest kid I'd ever met. You reminded me of my cousin Dudley, actually." He murmured absently before continuing. "I saw you were Sorted into Slytherin and I just didn't want to be there."

"I made you get sorted into Gryffindor?" Draco squeaked, sounding absolutely horrified.

"Not, really." Harry leaned down to kiss his temple in reassurance. "It was more the 'Voldemort came from Slytherin' thing than anything else."

"Oh. Well, that makes it much better." He drawled sarcastically, but couldn't keep himself vexed when Harry was massaging his scalp with those talented fingers like that.

"So, you wouldn't mind if one of your kids was in Slytherin?" He asked again, feeling lethargic the longer those fingers worked on him.

"No." Harry answered assuredly. "I suspect at least one of them will be Sorted there if all of their successful scheming is anything to go by."

"Mm." Draco smiled, eyes drifting closed and just enjoying being held for once. He'd had a rather lonely, dry few years after he'd divorced Astoria. He'd forgotten what it was like to feel like this.

"Scorpius is going into Slytherin." He murmured absently.

Harry snorted. "I'm sure he is. With your father and you working on him, he'll have no choice."

"Yeah, but he fits there." Draco protested weakly, his hand idly stroking over Harry's side of its own accord. "He's a natural Slytherin."

"I figured he would be." He agreed. "He's a really smart kid, Draco. You did really good with him."

Draco's eyes slid open and he tilted his head to see Harry's face. "Thanks." He murmured. "Your kids are amazing, too. Teddy as well, even though you didn't spend as much time raising him. They're all wonderful."

A beautiful smile stole over Harry's face and Draco was at once terribly glad that he'd witnessed it.

"Teddy's been a joy just as much as James, Albus, and Lily." He said. "I've always wanted to have more kids, though. Maybe it stemmed from not really having any family growing up, but I always wanted a huge family of my own, like the Weasleys." Harry told him casually as he twirled a lock of Draco's silver blond hair around his fingers.

Draco watched him silently as he played, then asked tentatively, "You wanted more kids?"

"Mm." A frown creased at his brow. "Ginny didn't even want three. Said she didn't want near as many kids as her parents had." He explained. "Did you want more kids before you divorced Astoria?"

A pang hit him with memories of begging for brothers and sisters when he was a child, and the feeling of bitter disappointment at Astoria's apathy toward their son.

"Yes." He breathed, the volume of emotion in that one word caused Harry to pause in his ministrations. "I don't have siblings, because my mother couldn't have anymore children. I'd always wanted them for my children if I had any. But then Astoria completely ignored Scorpius and after the divorce I was so busy trying to keep it together that even thinking about trying to have another relationship made my stomach turn."

He stopped and stared blankly over Harry's chest, just listening to the heartbeat under his ear and feeling his chest rising and falling. "Since then I'd given it up." He shrugged with false neutrality.

Harry resumed stroking his fingers through Draco's hair soothingly before he spoke. "Do you still want more kids?"

Tilting his head once more so he could look at him, Draco stared into his eyes for a moment. "Yes," he finally answered, "I'd love to have more kids."

Harry seemed to think something through, before hesitatingly beginning to speak again. "You know, if we stay together, if this works out, Teddy, and James, and Albus, and Lily will kind of be your kids, too. Like Scorpius will kind of be mine."

Draco stared at him for a moment feeling an agonizing warmth burst in his chest and expand outward. This amazing beautiful man could not have said anything else that would have made Draco fall more in love with him than he already was. Except, perhaps, that. A stinging hit him in the back of the eyes and he had to lay his head back down so Harry wouldn't see the shininess of his eyes.

"Your inarticulateness has done absolutely nothing to diminish how terrifyingly happy that sentence just made me." He breathed and squeezed Harry almost painfully tight around the middle. "You really believe that, Harry?" He asked. "That you'd be okay with being a father to Scorpius and you'd be okay with me being a father to your kids?"

"Yeah." Harry murmured, a smile plain in his voice. "I think the kids have been angling for that anyway, so why disappoint them." He stroked a hand down Draco's cheek to caress his fingertips over his lips, bringing his gaze up to meet his. "Besides, I already love Scorpius like I love Teddy. He's not blood, but he might as well be for all the difference it makes."

Draco pushed himself up and captured Harry's lips in a heated, bruising kiss. "I love your kids, too. I can't imagine our lives without them anymore." He pressed kiss after kiss to Harry's smiling lips. "This is completely insane, Potter. We tried to fucking kill each other and now we're talking about having kids together. The world's gone insane."

Laughing, Harry just grasped Draco's face in both hands pulled him in for a deep scorching kiss.

By the time they separated for the need to breathe, Draco was mostly on top of Harry and neither of them minded one bit. Deciding he liked where he was just fine, Draco relaxed on top of him and pressed his face into Harry's neck inhaling his scent.

He took a deep breath of that scent he was growing to crave and knew he had to tell him now, while they were on the subject or he might never tell him.

"Harry."

"Hm." He hummed, running his hands up and down Draco's back again not minding his weight a bit.

"I have to tell you something." Draco began, lifting his head to look Harry in his beautiful curious green eyes. "I can have more kids." He said, then realized that it didn't really adequately cover it.

Harry's brow creased in a confused frown. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a Matris." He explained, rather nervously. "I can bear children. I can get pregnant and give birth to an infant. I can have babies." He rushed, over iterating it just to make sure, Harry understood, because that look he was giving him was not at all reassuring.

Harry stared at him for a moment, his mind sluggishly exploring what he'd just heard. _Matris_. Where had he heard that from before? He knew he'd heard that somewhere before. Where...? Where...? Where...?

Oh, that's right. Hermione mentioned them, years ago, when Ginny was pregnant with James, asking if there were any in Matris their families. That's right. Matris were wizards born with capability to bear children...oh...

Oh!

It seemed that all air got knocked out of him at once. Draco was a Matris!

"Seriously?" He asked somewhat lamely. He hadn't realized that Draco had been fidgeting nervously while he spent an inordinate amount of time processing that new bit of information.

"Yes, seriously, Potter." Draco huffed. "Do you think I'd make it up?"

"No. No. Just making sure." Harry muttered and stared at Draco with a look of utter amazement.

"Well," he shifted uncomfortably atop Harry. "What do you think?"

What did he think? He frowned in thought for a second before breaking into a bright smile. "I think that it's completely amazing."

Draco eyed him dubiously. "Really?"

Harry cupped the sides of his face and brought him back down for a kiss. "Yes," he murmured against Draco's moist lips. "It's absolutely wonderful."

A contented sigh escaped him as his eyes slid half closed. "So, you'd want to think about having more kids with me, then?" He asked as Harry continued to pepper his mouth this little kisses.

"Yes, Draco." Harry answered looking into his bright gray eyes. "I would love to think about having children with you." He leaned in once more and captured his lips in a more involved kiss.

"Good." Draco murmured distractedly. "Great."

Then there was no more talking for quite awhile after that.

* * *

Harry stepped through the floo and into Ron and Hermione's living room following behind his four children. Their home in Ottery St. Catchpole was just down the lane from the Burrow, but was nearly half the size. It was tidy and neat, and warm, and a place Harry dearly enjoyed visiting.

Of course the kids loved to play in their back pasture much like they did while visiting the Burrow, so they never complained about a visit to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's.

"Harry!" Ron popped his head into the living room with a smudge of what looked like flour on his cheek and a frilly pink apron tied around his waist. "I thought I heard your brood barreling in through here."

"Hey, Ron." Harry grinned at him. "How are Rosie and Hugo doing? I assume they're in the yard since that's where my kids ran off to."

He snorted and popped back into the kitchen. "They're great, mate." Ron told him when Harry followed him into the kitchen. "Just came back from Mum's."

"Where's Hermione at?" He asked as he reached over to pluck a slice of cucumber off the top of the salad bowl sitting on the counter.

"Oi!" Ron scolded, slapping his hand away from the food. "No picking, you. She's fine. Finishing up something at the office. Babbles something about Lethefolds encroaching on Centaurian territory before cutting the connect, so that's all I got on her. Should be home in a bit, though."

Harry chuckled and seated himself at the counter on one of the stools they kept on the outside of the bar. "Sounds pressing." He ventured.

"Sounds bloody boring to me." Ron grumbled back as he lifted the lid on a huge pot on the stove and stirred the contents with a giant wooden spoon.

Harry watching with an amused smirk and thought, not for the first time, that Ron did domestic just a tad bit better than Hermione. Then again, he did have Molly to use as a model.

"What are we eating tonight?" He asked, folding his arms over the counter easily.

"Salad, tomato bisque, and rosemary roasted chicken breast. I made a strudel for desert, so you better eat some. You know how Hermione complains about the kids' sugar intake." He gave his best friend a stern scowl before dipping his finger into the soup pot, sticking it in his mouth, frowning to himself for a moment then snagging a pinch of basil and dropped it in.

Harry watched in mild fascination. Ron had taken to cooking dinner since he mainly worked consulting for the Aurors now and often got home before his wife. Consequently, he'd discovered that he was a literal genius in the kitchen. Which was surprising considering just how horrid he'd been at Potions.

"Sounds good." Harry grinned and continued to watch Ron tweak and taste and generally putter around the kitchen while keeping an ear on the kids outside for trouble.

Soon Hermione popped through the floo, the soup was finished simmering, the chicken came out of the oven, and Ron tossed up the salad. Harry called the kids in from outside and supervised their washing up while Ron set the table and Hermione changed out of her work clothes.

They sat down at the table and dug in.

"How was work, Hermione?" Harry asked around a mouthful of truly wonderful chicken.

"It was a headache. The Centaurs are a nightmare to deal with. You can never get a straight answer out of them." She huffed as she stuffed her mouth with a soup soaked roll.

"Imagine that." Ron murmured and shot an amused look at Harry who grinned in return.

"What about you, Harry?" Hermione asked. "Are you thinking of going back to work yet?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see James, Albus, and Lily all tense. "Not quite yet." He replied. "It's not like I need the job, and I'm not really all that pressed for something to do. My four little hellions keep me pretty well occupied."

Ron snorted while Hermione shot him a look that hit somewhere between disapproving and understanding.

The conversation moved on. The kids talking about kid things while the adults discussed politics, the economy and generally horribly boring things that they didn't even want to talk about.

Shortly after the plates had been cleared away, spelled to clean themselves in the sink, and the strudel brought out and served, there was a disturbance in the vicinity of Lily and Hugo.

"Mum!" Hugo bellowed across the table, his flaming red hair bouncing as he jiggled in his seat with excitement. "Can I have a pet snake?"

Hermione looked truly surprised by the question and Ron nearly choked on his strudel. "Um, no, sweetie. You can't have a pet snake."

"But Lily said Uncle Harry bought them pet snakes." Hugo informed her quite reasonably.

Ron and Hermione turned simultaneously incredulous looks on him. "You bought your kids pet snakes?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

Harry cringed and fidgeting in his seat. "Well, when you put it like that it sounds bad." He shrugged and gave them a helpless smile. "They begged me. They wanted to practice their Parseltongue, so I figured it'd be alright to let them get pets."

"But- but," Hermione sputtered. "Snakes are dangerous, Harry!"

"Nah." He said dismissively. "They won't disobey me. I'm the 'Lord of the Serpents' or something ridiculous like that. Technically I'm all snakes' master. They wouldn't dare harm my kids."

"We have names too." Teddy added, causing Ron and Hermione to turn their stunned expressions on him. "They call me Chameleon, because I can change how I look." He explained.

"And I'm Fire Lily." Lily told them proudly.

"Sirius." James muttered, sounding slightly confused and far away. "Mischief wont tell my why they all call me that though. She calls me Dog Star, too. "

Hermione made a high pinched choking sound before she turned her eyes on Albus asking a silent question.

She was obviously a little bit more upset about this than Harry had realized.

Albus shrugged at her and flashed a half apologetic smile her way. "Moon." He answered quietly. "Tal and the others call me Moon."

"And they call Draco, Dragon, and Scorpius, Scorpion,." Lily chirped informatively.

"Draco?" Ron gaped incredulously.

"Scorpius?" Hermione squawked disbelievingly.

Harry sighed and turned to the address the kids. Hugo and Rose were watching the goings on in utter fascination while Teddy, James, and Albus glared at Lily. She blushed and put a hand to her mouth, eyes wide in apologetic innocence.

Yes, well Lily had never been particularly good about remembering when to discuss something and when not to if she got excited. Really, Harry was surprised he hadn't had to explain himself to Ron and Hermione weeks ago. Ah, well, all good things must come to an end.

"Why don't you kids go back outside and play?" He suggested meaningfully.

The boys looked like they were going to protest, but then Rose, in true Hermione fashion, grabbed Albus's arm and began dragging him toward the door, her little brother's arm in the other hand. Of course there was nothing else for it, Rose was her mother's daughter and if not everyone listened to her orders, she'd make them.

Without much choice James, Teddy, and Lily followed shooting worried looks over their shoulders at their dad.

Once the kids were out of ear shot, he turned his gaze to Ron and Hermione. As predicted they had very unhappy looks on their faces.

Hermione leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and gave him _that _look. "Explain."

And so he did, give or take a few minor details here and there. After that, though, it went a little unpredictably.

"Are you absolutely insane?" Hermione asked once he was done with his abbreviated explanation of things.

Harry just looked at her like she was crazy. Ron was supposed to be the loud naysayer, she was supposed to be the voice of reason.

"No." He said slowly. "I'm not insane, Hermione. I wouldn't be wasting my time with him if I didn't believe that he'd changed, or grown up, or whatever."

"Do you even remember all the horrible things he's done to us?" She demanded.

"Of course I do!" He snapped. She was treating him like a child again. Harry wasn't going to put up with it. "Draco's done more horrible things to me than he ever did to you, Hermione. I was there, remember? I saved his life in the war. I had visions of Voldemort taunting him and torturing him. You, however, did not. So do not presume to think that you can make me see the error in my decision, because _you're_ wrong." He told her more angrily and sternly than he'd ever spoken to her before. Apart from fifth year, perhaps, but it still made her stare at him as if he'd slapped her.

He was expecting her to snap out of it and argue back at him, but she didn't. Her face turned hard, gaze outraged. Hermione jumped to her feet and stalked out of the room like an insulted hippogriff.

Harry and Ron sat in silence for a few minutes before what happened really registered. Turning to his best friend, Harry couldn't keep the incredulous, confused frown from his face.

"What the hell just happened?" He asked.

Ron just sighed and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "I don't know. She's been like that for weeks. Always snapping and demanding and getting uppity over the littlest of things. I'm about ready to tear my hair out."

He snorted at himself mirthlessly and shook his head. "She even yelled at Crookshanks the other day."

"What?" Harry stared at his friend in disbelief.

"I know." Ron sighed again. "She's gone round the bend and I can't figure out why." They sat silently for a bit, before Ron shook himself and fixed his blue eyes back on Harry. "So, you and Malfoy then?"

"We're friends now." Harry told him with conviction, begging his best friend to understand. "He kind of pulled us out of the limbo we'd been stuck in since Ginny left."

"He's the one that got you looking like something other than the living dead." Ron nodded in comprehension. "He's really changed?" He asked.

"Yeah." Harry breathed and stared out of the door toward the yard watching the kids run and play. It seemed odd, wrong, not to see a little blond boy glued to Albus's side like there normally was. "He's been great. Great with the kids, great about letting us impose on him at the Manor when Grimmauld gets to be too much and the kids refuse to go to the Burrow."

"So the kids are still afraid of Mum and Dad's then?" Ron inquired somewhat knowingly.

Harry sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, sometimes they're alright with visiting, but if I even suggest that I leave them there for a bit they get all dodgy and protesting. Teddy being with them has made it better, but it's still not good."

Nodding, Ron absently ran a finger down the condensation on his glass. "They'll grow out of it, Harry. It's bound to take some time. Mum understands, after having them for three weeks unexpectedly she figured they'd want to stick close to you for a bit."

Flicking a grateful look at Ron, Harry relaxed a fraction and took a sip of his tea. He shouldn't have been surprised that Ron was being so good about this. He'd matured a lot over the years.

"You take them over to the Manor?" Ron asked after a bit.

"Yeah." Harry breathed and fidgeted with his glass. "The kids love it. They have these huge gardens, and Narcissa redecorated the whole place. It doesn't look much like it did before." They both shared a haunted look, before Harry shook his head and continued.

"Scorpius, Draco's son, has attached himself to Albus like a limpet, but all the kids get on with him."

"He's not much like Malfoy was when we were younger?"

"Nah." Harry smiled in a way that Ron had only ever seen him do when speaking of his own children. It was surprising enough for him to almost miss what Harry said next. "Draco's done a better job with Scorpius than Lucius and Narcissa did with him. He's really smart and a bit shy. I think he didn't have many friends before Albus, to tell the truth."

"You love him." Popped out of Ron's mouth before he could stop it.

"What, Scorpius?" Harry frowned. "Well yeah, he's wonderful. The kids adore him. Ironically enough, him and Albus are almost inseparable-"

"No, I meant you love Malfoy." Ron cut in making Harry blanch.

"I-what?"

Rolling his eyes, Ron gave him an indulgent smile. "_You_ are in love with Draco Malfoy, admit it."

Harry stared at him for a moment, flashes of memory playing before him. The feel of silky silver blond hair between his fingers, the sound of Draco's laughter in the air, the press of soft, firm lips against his own, that weightlessness in his chest whenever Draco smiles at him.

"Whoa. Yeah. You're right." He breathed, not seeming very shocked by that revelation.

Ron raised an eyebrow at him. "You're sleeping with him aren't you?"

"What?" He blushed and didn't look his friend in the eyes. "Well, we haven't actually slept together, but we are -um- seeing each other, dating I guess."

"For some reason I'm not really surprised." Ron drawled. "I've kinda guessed that you're already seeing someone, but I wouldn't have guessed it'd be Malfoy."

"He's not like he used to be, Ron." Harry protested.

"I never said he was." He raised his hands in defense. "I'm just saying that I wouldn't have picked him if someone asked me. Then again I wouldn't have picked any other guy either."

Harry blushed. "I didn't really think about that." He admitted. "He just felt right. Not like Ginny, but better. Kind of like we'd just been hitting it an inch or two off the mark until we became friends and it just slotted in place."

Ron just watched him explain rather incoherently and sighed resignedly. "I'm going to have to be nice to him, aren't I?"

Harry smiled apologetically at him. "I would like that, yeah. George doesn't really have a problem with him and your mum's alright with it."

"Wait. You told George and Mum before me?" He asked, looking rather devastated.

"No!" Harry protested with a slightly amused look at his friend's sad face. "George doesn't know Draco and I are seeing each other, just that we're friends, and your Mum kind of cornered me when I had a -um- bit of a panic about it and she dragged everything out of me."

Ron's face cleared and his nodded understandingly. "She does that, doesn't she?" Then he frowned. "How come George knew _anything _before me?"

Harry grimaced and rubbed uncomfortably at his neck, obviously unwilling to say anything.

"Harry." Ron warned in that voice he'd obviously adopted for the children and it surprisingly worked best friends as well.

Dropping his hand, Harry started. "I decided to hire Lucius to be my financial adviser."

"Huh?" Ron grunted blankly.

"My financial adviser." Harry repeated with a small grin. "He's bloody rich, you know. Draco told me he accumulated most of the Malfoy wealth after his father died and he became Lord. Part ownerships in businesses, investments, real-estate. It was all Lucius." He shrugged. "I got to thinking and I want to leave my kids that kind of legacy. I want them to have property and wealth. Something you have to work at even if you don't have a job."

This had been the one thing he'd been most reluctant to tell Ron after, of course, his relationship with Draco. Money had always been a touchy subject with him even though he had more than enough money to live on comfortably now. Near poverty for most of his growing up years had marked him a bit.

"You're actually doing business with that old bastard?" Ron sputtered incredulously.

He shrugged. "Yeah. That's why George knew before you." He averted his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the look on Ron's face when he told him this next bit. "I'm part owner in Weasley Wizard Wheezes and Lucius thought it would be a good idea to talk to George about his plan for the business so I could reinvest and help him out if he needed it."

His friend just stared at him completely gobsmacked. "You own WWW?"

"No." He shifted uncomfortably. "I gave Fred and George my Triwizard winnings so that they could start their joke shop. They made me part owner. George owns two thirds now. I'm the junior partner." He explained.

"Oh." It sounded like Ron didn't know how to respond to that. "That makes sense, I guess." He hedged haltingly. "At least now I know why they wouldn't ever let you pay for anything."

Wow, Harry thought. Ron was really taking everything so much better than he thought he would.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Ron." He said. "I just didn't want anyone to know, cause your Mum would have been right pissed, then everything happened and it just didn't cross my mind." He looked at him helplessly.

"It's alright, mate." Ron waved him off and took a rather larger gulp of tea than he normally would. "I'm just a little surprised and buggered that you're just now telling me all this."

"I-" He stopped. There really was no explanation for it. "I didn't know how you would take all this. About Draco and the Malfoys, or about WWW. I should have told you sooner."

Blowing out a breath, Ron gave him a small shake of the head. "It's alright, mate." He said again. "I probably wouldn't have taken any of this great if you'd told me right off the bat. Frankly, I'm surprised at how well I'm taking all this. I guess you just picked a good night to come clean then." He grinned at him, eyes dancing with tentative humor.

Harry smiled widely, grateful that his best friend understood.

"So, when are you going to bring the Ferret around to Mum's for dinner?" Ron asked evilly.

Groaning, Harry laid his head on the table with a heavy thunk. God, he was not looking forward to how the other Weasleys were going to take this.

"Don't worry about it, mate." Ron chuckled and nudged Harry playfully in shoulder. "As long as you vouch for him and he stays on his best behavior everything should be fine. I think you'll have to wait awhile for Lucius and Narcissa though." He added with a wry smirk.

Harry blew out a breath that shivered his bangs. "You really think I should bring him over?"

"Well, you've met his family haven't you? Why shouldn't he have to suffer through the torture of meeting yours?" He was really having way too much fun with this.

A tortured look crossed over Harry's face causing Ron to throw his head back and laugh. Definitely too much fun.

They talked for the rest of the evening about Harry and how the children were holding up. There was a tense moment after Harry had asked if anyone had heard from Ginny. No one had. After that, however, they returned to more pleasant topics.

Hermione didn't return from where she'd hid herself in her study, though. That troubled Harry to no end.

It was as they were standing by the floo and Harry had just ushered Teddy and James through that Ron clapped a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"I'll talk to her, mate." He said with an understanding somber tone. "She'll come around."

Harry gave him a grateful, but weak smile before sending Albus off and then stepping into the grate with Lily holding tight to his hand.

* * *

"I apologize, but I seem to have gone temporarily insane." Lucius snipped sardonically. "I could have sworn I just heard the words, 'I want to invest in the _Quibbler_', come out of your mouth."

Harry shifted uneasily and frowned defensively. He felt like a five year old under Lucius's unwavering stare. "I did say that."

Lucius had the good grace to blink somewhat owlishly, or as owlishly as he could get, before coming back to himself. "Why in heaven's name would you want to invest your perfectly good gold in that imbecilic and asinine rag?" He sneered.

Stiffening in outrage, Harry glared at him heatedly. "Luna Lovegood is a very good friend of mine. She was with me at the Ministry, in the Final Battle, and she believed me when no one else did." He reminded Lucius none too gently. "She and her father may have some far-out ideas, but they still print the truth when it's called for. Or did you forget that they were the only paper to print the truth during the war as well?"

Cool gray eyes regarded Harry from the other side of the desk before Lucius found his voice once more after that rather passionate speech.

"Luna Lovegood would be that loony girl with the long blond hair, then?" He asked in affected neutrality. He did remember that girl. Brave, but frighteningly spacey, he recalled. Not a bad witch. Of course, she'd also spent quite a bit of time in his dungeon.

"Yeah." Harry gritted. "That's her."

"And you're determined to -invest-," he sneered, "in her father's magazine."

Harry just nodded.

Heaving a very heavy sigh, Lucius nodded and began pulling out various papers from the file he kept all of Harry's information in. "Very well then. I suppose we'll have to have a meeting with Xenophilious as well."

"Actually," Harry hedged, "I would rather the meeting be with Luna herself. She handles most of the actual business for the _Quibbler_, now. I believe Mister Lovegood spends most of his time searching for their -uh- Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."

Lucius studied him for a long moment trying to decide of he was having him on. "You wish to have the meeting with Miss Lovegood." He clarified.

"Yes." He nodded.

The older man seemed to take a moment to compose himself before continuing. "Very well. I will request that you send her a warning of my correspondence, then kindly set up an alternate place to hold the meeting. We cannot have Miss Lovegood getting distracted with her Crumbling-Fanged Whatsits whilst conducting business."

Harry stared at him incredulously for a moment before his face cleared with understanding. Lucius Malfoy was actually trying to be considerate of someone other than his own family and small children. He was trying to let Luna out of having to visit the Manor again after her imprisonment.

Maybe Lucius had changed more after the war than everyone gave him credit for.

"Alright." Harry nodded keeping his revelation to himself, though he guessed that Lucius already knew he'd seen through him. "I'll owl her when I get home. She'll know you're going to contact her."

Lucius gave him a curt grunt in approval before turning back to his papers and glancing them over trying to remember what he'd been wanting to discuss with Potter before that _Quibbler_ business had been dropped in his lap.

"Ah!" He said as he pulled a couple of sheets out of the stack. "Am I to assume, Mister Potter, that you have not taken the time to go through either of the Black or Potter heirloom vaults?" He asked needlessly.

"Er... Yeah." Harry scratched at the base of his skull. "I've been... busy."

Lucius raised a wry eyebrow, his eyes too knowing for Harry's comfort. "I can imagine." He drawled. "However, you will be passing these heirlooms down to your children and therefore must be apprised of exactly what they are." He told him, nonnegotiable.

"I figured they would just get a list from the goblins like I did." Harry said then immediately felt irrationally like a naughty child when Lucius turned a truly outraged look on him.

"Potter!" Lucius exclaimed in shock. "Have you no pride for your heritage?" He demanded. "I cannot speak for the Potters, but the Blacks were an extremely proud and tradition orientated family. The heirlooms in these vaults will be positively steeped in magic and history from both families. It is tantamount to an ancestral snubbing for you to be so callously blasé about the heritage and gifts given to you from your ancestors." He scolded him with such vehemence that Harry had no doubt that he was missing something fundamental to this man that Harry had never known he should have.

And that was a respect and reverence for his ancestors passed down from parent to child.

Harry suddenly felt very bereft for his muggle upbringing.

"I-I'm sorry." He stuttered, face blanched pale. "I didn't realize that it was that-... important. I thought that heirlooms would mean just antiques and quirky old magical artifacts." He tried to explain, tried to make this angry older man not look at him as if he was a great disappointment.

His brain paused on him for a moment in surprise and wonder. When had he decided that Lucius was worthy of him trying to gain his respect and approval? When Lucius had been kind to his children and when he realized that Draco loved his father for more reasons than just because he was his father.

Lucius took a deep breath and closed his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose. Lowering his hand and opening his eyes again, he tried to maintain a cool, calm, professional air.

"I realize that you were not raised in our world." He began, voice level. "I realize that you do not understand that in the Wizarding World there is more to family heirlooms than just furniture and 'quirky old magical artifacts'. Inside these vaults will be much more than that." He said.

Lowering his head a bit and looking up through his bangs, Harry sighed. "So, I should go check them out, then?" He asked needlessly. If Lucius's scolding hadn't convinced him, he would have done it anyway... eventually. He grimaced inwardly at that thought.

"Yes, I suggest that you do." Lucius agreed sternly. "However, seeing as you are not a Black and that you have no real knowledge of their magics, you should enlist Draco or someone else well versed in the Dark Arts to go with you. There may be -unpleasant- artifacts in that vault that you will not know how to combat." He cautioned.

Frowning, Harry nodded. He had to think about that. Getting it all done in one day would be enormously ideal, but leaving the kids at the Burrow, even with Teddy, wouldn't really be an option for a day that long winded. He could leave the kids at the Manor with the Malfoys, but who would he take to the vault?

He could take Draco, he thought. But did he feel comfortable leaving the children that long at the Manor without him or Draco there with them to combat their fears and anxieties? No. Maybe he could leave Draco with the kids and take Narcissa. She was a Black, she'd know what she was looking at.

Lucius watched what seemed to be a rather serious inner conflict until he was pulled from his observations when Potter glanced up at him.

"Is Narcissa well versed in the Dark Art?" Harry asked with a concentrated frown on his face.

"Not particularly." Lucius answered, puzzled and curious about this new line of questioning. "She is versed in the basics, but has no real depth of knowledge. Narcissa was never anxious to educate herself in the Dark Arts like her sister."

Potter gave a frustrated huff then went back to frowning at himself. Quite puzzling, Lucius mused.

Suddenly the frown cleared and Potter looked up to regard him with a calculating, speculative air. Lucius raised his eyebrow at him until he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"You're -well versed- in the Dark Arts?" Harry hedged phrasing the fact like a question.

Lucius snorted and leaned back in his chair, a dry smirk in his lips. "Very well versed." He confirmed. "Malfoys have been a family with strong ties to the Dark Arts for centuries. It was only natural for me to begin learning at an early age." He informed him with an unapologetic glint in his cool gray eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Harry propped his arm on his armrest then set his chin in the palm of his hand. "The kids don't like to stay at the Burrow for very long without me and I don't feel comfortable leaving them here without me or Draco to help them in case they get anxious."

Frowning, Lucius asked. "Why wouldn't they wish to stay with their Weasley grandparents?"

Harry sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. "Ginny left them there saying she would be around in a couple of days for them. Then she ran off with her lover for three weeks."

Lucius felt an irrational well of horrible anger build up inside him. The Potter children weren't his blood by any stretch of the imagination, but he'd grown rather horridly fond of them since they began to invade the Manor. It made him burn to think of their own mother abandoning them like that. If he weren't a prime candidate for Azkaban he would have hunted the woman down himself.

"Despicable woman!" He spat none too softly. He half expected Potter to defend her, his ex-wife and childhood sweetheart, but all he got was a distracted grunt of agreement.

Shaking his head to clear away the dark thoughts, Harry composed himself and continued.

"I can't leave the kids alone and I can't really put this off until I die." He stated with little amusement. "If I choose a time that is convenient, would you consider accompanying me?" He asked tentatively. "You are Dark enough to handle anything the Blacks might throw at us and you most likely know more wizarding history and heritage then the whole of the Ministry combined. Would you mind going with me?" He asked again this time sounding rather small.

Lucius stared at him in surprise. He hadn't ever thought hat Potter would wish to seek out his company apart from their financial meetings and the times that Draco and Narcissa forced them together. Potter asking for his assistance in exploring his own heirloom vaults was... astounding.

"Are you quite sure you wish me to accompany you?" Lucius asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah." Harry smiled at him rather wanly. "You'd know the most and be the best capable of spotting anything irredeemably Dark. I trust you." And surprisingly enough, to himself and to Lucius, he really did. He did trust the man that had tried to kill him more than once.

Lucius looked like he didn't really know how to respond to that. He sat in his chair with this incredulous expression on his face and an air of complete surprise. Finally, he seemed to come back to himself and his professional mask slipped back on.

"In that case, Mister Potter, I will be glad to accompany you." He said with a formal nod of the head.

Harry just gave him a small grin.

* * *

"What did you and Father discuss this afternoon?" Draco asked as they sat on the patio watching the kids playing in the gardens.

Harry sipped his tea and shrugged. "We had a bit of an argument about some investing I want to do, but other than that nothing really special."

Draco raised an eyebrow at him in a silent request for clarification.

"Alright," Harry sighed with a teasing grin. "So I told him I wanted to invest in the _Quibbler_ and he didn't think it was a good idea."

A snort escaped him before he could stop it. "No wonder you two had an argument. You know how much Father hates that magazine."

"Well," Harry shrugged, "Luna is a very close friend and the _Quibbler _is a pretty good paper." He cringed then conceded, "Once you get past the Snorkacks, and Wrackspurts.

Chuckling, Draco shook his head. "Whatever, Potter. I know you read it for its scintillating magical creature column."

Of course Draco knew that if you really wanted to get the news you read the _Quibbler_. Most of the Wizarding World knew that. After the war the _Prophet_ had just gone down hill. The people no longer trusted a newspaper that fell to Ministry pressure and Death Eater threats.

They sat in companionable silence after that for a time until Harry decided to bring up the possibility of dinner at the Burrow.

"I had to tell Ron and Hermione about us the other night when we went to dinner at their place." He said.

Draco flicked a glance at him from the corner of his eye. "I bet they took that really well." He commented sarcastically.

Harry tilted his head in negation. "You'd be surprised." He said. "Hermione didn't take it well, but Ron seemed okay."

That surprised him. "Granger didn't take it well, but Weasley did?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Ron seemed pretty accepting actually. He said he was just glad that the kids and I weren't wallowing anymore."

Draco seemed to think about that for a moment. "I would have figured, between them, that Granger would have been the more reasonable of the two." He frowned questionably.

Sighing, Harry nodded. "I would have too, actually, but she didn't take it so well. Ron mentioned that she hasn't been quite herself for a while, but didn't tell me more about it."

"That's- not good." Draco murmured.

"I know. I'm kinda worried about her." Harry turned away and stared out over the gardens catching glimpses of blond and bright pink through the greenery. "Ron mentioned that his mum would want you and Scorpius over for dinner to meet the rest of the family." He added with forced casualty.

Draco stiffened. "Missus Weasley knows about us?" He asked.

Turning his earnest green eyes on him, Harry nodded. "After the floo broke I was pretty out of it. I was helping her look after the grandchildren one day and she dragged it out of me."

Sighing, Draco nodded. "My mother would do just the same thing I suppose. So, you're bringing all this up because you want me and Scorpius to suffer a night at the Burrow?" He hit him with a knowing look.

Harry just grinned innocently at him. "It would mean a lot to me, Draco. They're my family, have been since I started at Hogwarts and I want them to meet you both." His grin softened and he reached over to grab Draco's hand over the table. "You're both very important to me and I want them to know that."

How could he say no to that? Really, Draco already knew that he couldn't. "Alright, you bloody manipulator." He scowled at him teasingly even as he tightened his hold on Harry's hand. "We'll go and have dinner at the Burrow."

Smiling brightly, Harry leaned over and placed a tender kiss on his lips. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."

Lifting his free hand, Draco cupped Harry's cheek to hold him close for a moment, lengthening their kiss before they pulled apart.

His green eyes flicked toward the garden where their kids were playing before his head snapped around in surprise. "Lily! Don't touch those roses!" He shouted.

"Sorry Daddy!" Was called back before the little girl skipped away deeper into the gardens.

Shaking his head, he turned back to his lover and gave him a frown. "You really need to get those things out of there."

Draco just chuckled and smiled at him. "If you have any ideas on how to do that without getting sliced to bits, be my guest."

They degenerated into comfortable silence once more, each of them with different things on their minds.

Harry was dwelling on the thought of having to go through his heirloom vaults with his once sworn enemy at his side. While Draco was worrying over the upcoming dinner at the Weasleys'.

He found it hard to believe that Ronald Weasley would be so accepting of his relationship with Harry when they had been at each others throats since before Hogwarts. That wasn't the most worrying thought though. Ron was Harry's best friend so it wasn't impossible that he was just happy that his friend had found happiness, but the rest of the family might take exception to Harry moving on into a relationship with a Malfoy so soon after his divorce with their sister and daughter.

It was a troubling thought, because he wanted Harry's adoptive family to like him. He wanted them to be happy for Harry and accept him and Scorpius as a part of his life for the foreseeable future.

He wanted all of this, but didn't see it happening anytime soon.

With a sigh, he turned his attention back on the garden and watched their children chase each other in some game that only children were allowed play.

* * *

TBC...


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War

**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics

**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 6,160  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Thirteen*****

"Harry?" Luna's whimsical voice called from the kitchen. "Harry? Did the Nargles make you deaf again?"

Chuckling to himself, Harry stepped through the doorway and strode toward the hearth and sat himself on the floor before it.

"Hey Luna. No, I'm not deaf. I was just in my study and it took me a minute to get here." He grinned in greeting at the disembodied head in his fireplace.

"Oh!" She smiled back. "That's good then. I got your letter and I got Mr. Malfoy's as well." She told him.

"Oh." Harry rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I'm sorry to ask this, Luna, but do you mind meeting with us?"

"Not at all, Harry." She smiled at him dreamily. "I wouldn't mind that. His letter said something about investing." She inquired.

"Yeah," he nodded at her. "I want to invest some money in the _Quibbler_."

Her fire-call green tinged eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah." Harry repeated with a bashful smile. "I think you could really expand it. It's doing really well since the war, isn't it?"

"Oh yes!" Luna exclaimed excitedly. "But Daddy and I were having some real trouble getting the funding for research on this one story. It's about a conspiracy to-"

"That's great, Luna." He interrupted as kindly, quickly, as possible. "You can tell me about it when we meet, alright?"

She just grinned at him hazily and nodded. "Okay, Harry. Where are we meeting?"

He shifted his eyes away uncomfortable. "Well, where would you like to meet, Luna?" He asked as naturally as possible.

A small frown creased at her blond eyebrows before it cleared and that strangely knowing smile appeared on her lips. "There is this wonderful vegan restaurant just off Diagon Alley. They have really good food. Completely Wrackspurt free."

Harry had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. This did not sound like the type of place that Lucius Malfoy would ever be caught dead in.

"That sounds perfect, Luna." He smiled widely at her. "Shall we meet you there, then?"

A funny kind of twist curled at her lips. "No, no. I'll meet you at Malfoy Manor and we can all floo over together."

His mirth effectively died. "Luna, I don't think-"

"See you then, Harry." She called happily before the connection was cut surprisingly short.

Harry sat there on the floor in the kitchen staring at his empty fireplace for a second.

Well, he thought to himself, Luna always seemed to know what she was doing. It only occurred to him after he'd returned to his study that the Manor was unplottable and the only ones with floo access outside of the Malfoys were the Ministry Aurors and his family.

* * *

Draco knelt in front of his son buttoning up his nice causal set of dress robes with shaking hands. Butterflies were holding a riot in his gut and his palms were sweating the likes of which he'd not experienced since his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts.

"Remember to be on your best behavior, Scorpius." He told his son for the fifth time since they started to get ready for the evening ahead.

The little boy nodded and turned apprehensive gray eyes on his father. "Do you think they'll like me, Dad?"

"Of course they'll like you." He gave him a reassuring grin. _They just won__'__t like me._

"Are you sure?" Scorpius asked with pleading eyes. "Because I really want Albus's cousins to like me."

A puff of breath escaped him and he suddenly leaned forward and pulled his son into his arms. "They will love you. And so will Albus's aunts and uncles and grandparents."

"But what if they don't? Then Albus and James and Teddy and Lily won't like me anymore either." Scorpius's voice cracked and pitched high in his worry.

Draco knew exactly how he felt. He didn't presume to believe that he could continue his relationship with Harry if the whole of the Weasley clan didn't approve. There had been too many years of rivalry and feuding that he didn't know if they would ever be able to accept him, _them_, on Harry's good opinion alone.

And Harry's family was important to him above all else. Draco didn't want him to have to choose between them.

"I'm sure they'll like you no matter what, baby." He murmured into his son's hair. He hadn't called him that since he was a toddler, but it seemed to calm him now as it had then. "They'll stay your friends no matter what."

Scorpius sniffled a little bit then pulled away with a small nod. "Okay."

Draco had to fight down the lump in his throat before he got to his feet and held his hand out for his son to take. "Come on, let's go down and floo to Harry's."

Once they got to the floo room, Narcissa was waiting for them with an ornately painted wooden box in her hands. "Mother." Draco drawled in a warning voice. "What is that?"

"It's a gift for your hosts dear." She told him with benign smile.

"Oh no, Mum." Draco groaned. "They won't want anything from me."

"Listen to your Mother and take the -Weasleys- a host gift." Lucius scolded from the doorway behind them. The sneer was almost not noticeable on his face.

Rolling his eyes, Draco took the box from his mother and looked at it dubiously. "What's in it, then?" He asked then looked at her in horror. "God, please tell me you didn't pack them wine or mead. I told you what hap-"

"No dear." Narcissa cut him off with a dismissive wave. "I did not pack them wine. I simply picked out a few jars of your more popular salves and rubs and maybe a package or two of your tea cookies."

He groaned again. "Mother, they won't-"

"Oh tosh!" She huffed and placed a strong hand on his back propelling him toward the floo. "Get on with you. Have a nice night and be sure to tell us how it went when you get home tomorrow."

Draco stepped into the floo, one arm wrapped around the box and the other hand holding Scorpius's. "Tomorrow? But-"

Narcissa leaned forward giving him a kiss on the cheek then bent down to give Scorpius one as well. "Yes, tomorrow, dear." She smiled then threw in a handful of floo powder and shouted out "Number 12,Grimmauld Place!" before Draco could protest.

They watched their son and grandson disappear in a whoosh of green flame before Lucius turned to his wife with a disapproving frown. "Did you really have to send them a gift?"

"Of course, darling." She smiled at him and patted his arm. "We want Draco to make a good impression, don't we?"

He scoffed. "I highly doubt the Weasleys would be impressed by any finery or offering we could bestow upon them."

Narcissa decided to ignore his disdainful tone. "Perhaps not, my love, but they are pure-bloods and as such must appreciate the observation of our older traditions."

Instead of arguing with his terminally infallible wife, Lucius just rolled his eyes and steered her away from the floo room and towards their own dinner for two. "I'm sure you are correct, my sweet, but let's continue onto our own dinner before we forget it all together."

Narcissa just smiled at him knowingly and let him guide her. She knew she was never wrong.

* * *

Draco and Scorpius flooed from Grimmauld Place after Teddy, James, and Albus. Both of the youngest Malfoys had nervous pangs in their stomachs and neither of them were feeling all that confident.

They landed smoothly in a large hearth and Draco gave his son's hand one last squeeze before they stepped out into a homey kitchen filled with redheads and a hodgepodge of cookware.

The room went absolutely silent and all the fiery heads turned look at them until Harry and Lily stepped out behind them.

It took one look at the uncomfortable bodies filling the kitchen and at how Scorpius was standing pressed against the back of Draco's legs before Harry turned toward his family and smiled widely at them.

"Hey, everyone." He chuckled awkwardly trying to dispel the suddenly tense atmosphere. "I'd like you to meet Draco and his son, Scorpius."

The first one to step forward, Draco recognized as the surviving twin of the terrifying twosome.

"Nice to see you again, Malfoy." George smiled at him kindly then turned and ruffled Scorpius's hair playfully. "You too, Scorp."

Scorpius first crinkled his nose in a move strangely reminiscent to Draco in distaste for the ruffling then smiled up at him. "Hello, Mr. George."

"Good evening, Weasley." Draco inclined his head politely as he covertly smoothed down Scorpius's hair again with his free hand.

"Call me George." He grinned then winked at him. "If you call all of us Weasley, we'll never figure out who you're talking to."

A little surprised by this, it took him a moment to respond with a stuttering, "Then call me Draco."

"Sure thing. This is my wife, Angelina," he gestured to the only dark skinned woman in the room. A pretty girl, Draco remembered, that used to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.  
Draco shook hands with her and gave her a kind if shaky smile.

George's forwardness seemed to knock the rest of the room out of their trance and soon both he and Scorpius were inundated with redheads and their spouses. It became painfully clear that the whole of the Weasley clan were obnoxiously friendly and that Draco could charm just about anyone.

They were both shaken and kissed and hugged like long lost relatives, all the while Harry and his children watched with wide smiles. The only hitch was when Bill stepped forward with Fleur.

Draco looked at the next Weasley son and instantly recognized him as the oldest child, the son that Fenrir Greyback had savaged during Draco's sixth year. There were five scarred slashes across his face, but that didn't do anything to diminish his handsomeness or, apparently, his friendly smile.

Instantly, Draco felt himself tense and Scorpius looked up at him in confusion for his sudden stillness.

Bill noticed as well, but payed it no mind. "Hey Draco. It's good to meet you finally. Ron tells us you're the reason our Harry's not moping anymore." He grinned.

Stunned, Draco couldn't think of anything to do, but reach out and take his hand in a firm shake. "N-nice to meet you too, William, but I'm not sure that's exactly true."

"Sure it is, Malfoy." Called a grinning Ron, from where he'd just stepped in from the backyard. "It's good of you to join us." He said as he stepped forward and held out his hand.

Completely bowled over, Draco just took his hand and shook it. "Good of you all to welcome us." He said, sounding dazed.

Ron chuckled and released his hand. "No problem. This must be Scorpius then." He turned his blue eyes on the little boy. "Harry's told me quite a bit about you."

Draco's son stepped out from behind his father a bit and stared up at him with hopeful awe. "Really?"

Flicking a glance at a suddenly anxious looking Harry, Ron just smiled down at him happily. "Yeah, he thinks you're something special." He murmured to him quietly causing him to flush happily.

"Oh! You're finally here!" Came an excited shout from the door to the backyard.

Raising his head in surprise, Draco saw who he knew was the famed Weasley matriarch. For some reason she wasn't quite like he remembered her from the Final Battle, all fury and flying red hair and viciously flashing wand. She looked warm and welcoming and plump and the quintessential grandmother.

Molly came rushing forward pushing her sons out of her way to grab a surprised Draco by the cheeks and pull him into a tight hug leaving her red lipsticked kisses over his pale cheeks.

"I'm so glad you could join us, dear. And this must be Scorpius." She released Draco only to bend down and pull his son into a warm hug as well. "You look so handsome." She gushed at him as she smoothed down his robes with freckled motherly hands. "I wish I could have gotten my boys into dress robes more often when they were your age." Molly told him with a smile.

Standing back to get a better look at him she placed a hand on her chest as if overwhelmed my the sight them both and looked from stunned father to stunned son. "Dear me, you look just like your father. So handsome." Which one of them she was speaking to, Draco didn't know.

"Well, come along, dear." She instructed with that motherly tone you were just compelled to obey. "Let's get you outside and introduce you to the rest of the children."

As she began to usher him away Scorpius seemed to remember himself passed his overwhelmed daze and paused in his steps. "Thank you for inviting us, Mrs. Weasley." He intoned formally, a little nervously.

She stopped and stared at him for a moment before a smile broke over her face and she grabbed him up in a hug once again. "You are just the sweetest thing, but please, dear, just call me Grandma-Molly."

Draco was reeling and he didn't really know what to do. He felt the urge to chase after his son as he followed Mrs. Weasley outside to keep the small measure of protection he offered. The other Weasleys wouldn't be unkind to him if Scorpius was standing with him, but still that thought left him when he felt a warm hand press to his lower back.

Turning his head, he gave Harry a shaky smile.

"You're doing fine, Draco." Harry murmured into his ear. "They like you."

Draco decided that he'd hold out judgment on that, but followed Harry's urging out of the kitchen and into the backyard anyway.

Scorpius had followed Mrs. Weasley outside until she stopped in front of another man with flaming red hair. His grandfather had warned him about all the red hair when his dad had told them all that they were going to have dinner with Harry's family, but Scorpius hadn't really believed him.

Apparently he was right. There was red hair everywhere.

"Now, dear," Mrs. Weasley was saying, "This is my second oldest, Charlie. He'll introduce you around to all the children. Don't get too carried away with playing, though." She cautioned. "We're starting dinner in a few minutes."

Scorpius nodded numbly up at them and returned Charlie's smile tremulously. He looked away from them and finally took stock of the sight before him.

There was a field covered in tall grass that reached up to his knees and everywhere he looked there were other children running and screaming and laughing. He hadn't seen this many kids in one place since he'd started primary school. It was a bit intimidating.

A warm hand slipped into his and he looked over to find Albus had snuck up next to him without him noticing. A small smile touched his lips and Scorpius gave his hand a thankful squeeze. Albus grinned at him happily and bumped their shoulders together in reassurance.

Scorpius looked passed his best friend to see Teddy, James, and Lily all standing with them and he knew everything would be okay. Scorpius knew he wasn't alone anymore.

"By the way, what's in the box?" Harry asked once they'd made it out to the yard.

"Oh! I'd forgotten I'd had it." Draco shook his head and lifted the box up appraisingly. "Mother forced me to bring a host's gift along. I'm sure they wouldn't want anything from us so I'll just-"

"What's that you've got, dear?" Molly interrupted as she stepped up to them once more, this time with a platter of something delicious smelling in her hands.

Draco was about to tell her nothing when Harry beat him to it. "It's a host's gift, Molly, for you and Arthur." He answered, grinning when his lover shot him an annoyed scowl.

Molly's eyes darted from the box to Draco and a warm happy smile split her kindly face. "Oh, thank you, dear! That's very sweet. What is it?" She ask as she shoved the platter into Harry's hands and snatched the box from Draco faster than he could protest.

"It-it's some healing salves that I brew for my shop and some packages of tea cookies." He mumbled, stunned as Molly stared down at the intricately painted box in awe.

"How lovely!" She exclaimed and turned to look over her shoulder. "Arthur? Arthur! Did you hear that? Draco brought us a host's gift."

"That's very nice, Molly." Mr. Weasley said as he stepped forward and nodded politely to Draco. "Thank you, Draco."

"You're welcome." Was all he could think to say.

Then there was a blur, a red, and green, and blond, and black, and sunset, and garden blur. Before Draco knew it he'd been pushed and prodded and smiled at and joked with and finally seated at the garden picnic table large enough to seat thirty with room to spare, Harry on one side and George on the other. There seemed to be a pause where everyone stared at the food positively layered on the table before, suddenly, they all reached.

Draco didn't want to do anything other than sit there and try not to attract attention to himself. He felt like a rabbit in a pen full of foxes. That didn't last for very long. He jumped when a pile of mashed potatoes was dropped onto his plate.

"Eat, dear." Molly urge from where she was brandishing the serving spoon in her hand. "You're much too thin."

Opening his mouth to protest indignantly, he was stilled when Harry squeezed his knee under the table. "That means she likes you." He whispered into his ear. "If she wants to feed you, she likes you."

Discretion being the better part of valor, Draco just flashed him an understanding smile before kindly asking the Weasley son, Charles, to pass the peas.

Soon, the meal being underway, everyone broke off into their separate conversations and Draco began to enjoy himself just listening.

George was discussing the current value of the galleon with William who, Draco discovered, worked as a curse breaker for Gringotts. Audrey, Percy's wife, was chatting amiably with Angelina about their children and Charles was telling his father about the new dragons they'd just got in the preserve in Romania.

It was all homey and comfortable and Draco found himself listening, fascinated by the their opinions on various things and what they had to say. He could hear the childish giggles and exclamations from the children's table and smiled. This was nice, he decided, he was glad he'd come.

"So, Draco." Arthur began before swallowing a mouthful of ham. "What is it that you do?"

"Oh, well. I have my own shop just off of Diagon Alley." He answered.

"Really?" Arthur inquired in genuine, if exaggerated, curiosity. "What do you sell?"

Draco took a sip of his iced tea before answering. "Just this and that really." He answered nervously. "I brew some custom healing potions from my own recipes and sell a few packaged baked goods that I make as well."

"And jewelery." Harry added as he shoveled a forkful of vegetables into his mouth, catching nearly every female at the table's attention.

"Ez zat true?" Asked Fleur from her seat next to Bill.

Fighting down the uncomfortableness of being under such scrutiny, Draco nodded. "Yes. I make them as well, and Charm some with little spells. Protections and luck and things." He gestured awkwardly with his hands.

"You wouldn't happen to make earrings, would you?" Bill asked with a teasing grin as he flicked his ever present fang earring with his fingers lightly.

Smiling back, Draco nodded. "I do. You'll have to come into the shop sometime and check out what I've got." He invited.

While receiving excited comments and more inquiries from the rest of the family, Draco was a little taken aback by the glare the French woman sent his way. He gave Harry a questioning look only to receive a shrug and an eye roll in answer. Apparently, Fleur glaring at people was not an odd occurrence.

Dinner went on relatively smoothly after that and soon various people were standing up and helping Molly clear away the plates and empty dishes from the table.

Draco stood to help as well only to be pushed back down in his chair quiet forcefully. "No, dear. You're our guest. You sit and chat some more. Harry will help me."

Given no chance to argue, Draco remained in his seat and soon found himself surrounded by the women of the family. Everyone seemed to be there except, of course, for Ginny.

Hermione was chatting about something esoteric and complicated with Audrey, while Angelina and Fleur were chattering about something or other he couldn't quite make out. The only men left at the table were Charles and Aurthur.

"So, Draco." Charles grinned at him flirtatiously. "Do you have any interest in dragons?" He practically purred.

Taken aback by his blatancy, it took Draco a moment to answer without sounding affronted. Surely this redhead realized that he and Harry were in a relationship.

"Yes, they are interesting creatures." He responded coolly trying to make it perfectly clear that he was not encouraging Charles's attentions in the least.

Instead of seeming rebuffed, Charlie just threw his head back and laughed. "I meant nothing by it, Draco." He said with a smirk still on his lips and his hands held aloft in surrender. "I sometimes get carried away." He grinned. "I like my job a lot."

Draco felt an embarrassed blush creep up his neck. "Well, in that case, then, yes. I am very interested in dragons. I have always been fascinated with dragons of every kind. It seems only natural considering which constellation my mother named me after." He repeated in a much friendlier tone.

Charlie just smiled. "You were at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, weren't you?"

"I was, yes. I believe that the first task was my favorite." Draco said with a smile.

"Oh yes. Mine too." He nodded knowingly. "My preserve in Romania was commissioned to find the dragons for that task. That was enormously fun. Some of those beauties were brutal." He said with absolute relish.

Draco laughed and leaned forward in interest. The two of them soon began an involved conversation about dragons, in myth, legend, and flesh. He was having a wonderful time and by the time Molly and the other men brought out desert and tea, Draco couldn't tear himself away from the knowledge and stories that Charlie had to share.

Only when Harry resumed his seat next to him did he pull himself away for a moment to smile brightly at his lover before turning back and delving into the mating habits of some obscure Asian breed or other. Harry just shook his had in amusement and began a conversation with Arthur about the newest muggle technology he'd discovered.

Though he was having a good time and surprisingly engaging conversation, Draco couldn't help, but feel Hermione's disapproving frown through the side of his head every time she looked at him. He'd caught her scowling at him, but the only response he got was a frustrated huff and a cold shoulder. That worried him.

She was one of Harry's best and oldest friends. What would happen if she never warmed up to him and her animosity created a rift. Draco didn't think he could stand that.

The only other person in the room that didn't seem to be warming up to him in one respect or another was Fleur. She would flash a superior look at him every now and then before sniffing almost disdainfully and turning away.

Harry didn't seem to be worried about it so Draco wasn't. But still...

The children had long since lost patience with sitting at their table and were now scattered in the back field playing games and chasing each other. Scorpius had pulled his outer robe off and practically threw it at Draco before he sprinted off after Albus with a wide smile plastered on his face.

Draco was happy to see him so open and playful. He'd always struck him as a reserved child and it was wonderful to see him lose some of that shyness.

A small insistent tug distracted Draco from his current discussion with Angelina and Ronald about Quidditch. Tilting his head, Draco caught a flash of blond out of the corner of his eye and turned fully to see the small toddler pulling at his robes.

He couldn't have been more than three with bright blue eyes, light golden blond hair, and a face that so resembled his father's that Draco had no problem pinpointing who this little boy belonged to.

Turning in his chair so that the child seemed to have his full attention, Draco placed his hands in his lap and asked very politely, "Yes?"

The little boy blushed and pulled his hand away from Draco's robe to press it to his mouth in a little fist. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Fleur watching his every move suspiciously.

"I likes yor hair." The little boy mumbled passed his chubby fist.

Draco gave him a bright, happy smile and reached forward to twist one of the little boy's curls around his finger. "Why, thank you. I like your hair, too. It makes you look very handsome."

The toddler giggled happily and lifted his arms up in a blatant invitation.

"You want to sit in my lap?" Draco asked with exaggerated surprise.

The little boy nodded excitedly and made grabbing motions with his hands. "Up!" He demanded.

Draco gave a playful sigh, "Oh, very well then. If you insist." And lifted the boy up under the arms, settling him sideways in his lap so they could face each other.

"What's your name, handsome?" He asked as he ran a hand through the baby fine curls atop his little head.

"Louis!" The little boy cheered.

"That's a very nice name. I like it." Draco said. "My name's Draco."

"Hi, Draco." Louis smiled bashfully with a small blush on his round cheeks.

"Well, hello to you too." Draco chuckled and tapped him on the nose softly with the tip of his finger. "You are such a charmer. I bet you get it all from your daddy, don't you?" He flashed a mischievous wink at Bill who just rolled his eyes at him from where he and everyone else at the table was watching avidly.

Louis just grinned and shrugged a little boy shrug.

Draco laughed. "Well, at least we know where you got such lovely hair from." He commented dryly as he combed his fingers absently through Louis's tangled curls.

"_Ma Maman_!" The little boy shouted with a bright smile directed at Fleur who smiled back at him momentarily distracted from her scowling.

"Yes," Draco nodded seriously. "_Votre maman a de très jolis cheveux(_1)." He agreed in fluent french, making Louis's and Fleur's eyes grow big around.

Almost immediately the little boy began babbling at him in an odd mix of imperfect french and childishly pronounced english. Much to Harry's amazement and amusement, Draco seemed to follow every single word coming out of Louis's mouth, answering promptly and appropriately in perfect french.

Harry watched as the women at the table traded pointed looks and small approving smiles while they continued to watch Draco lavish Bill's son with attention. He seemed to have won everyone over. That is, except for Hermione. Harry nearly had to stop himself from sighing.

His best friend was still glaring at Draco with an expression he couldn't quite place. He traded bemused looks with Ron before turning back to his conversation with Arthur.

The rest of the evening went almost perfectly after that. The kids played themselves into the ground and the adults drank tea and wine and firewhiskey until everyone was feeling quite cheerful.

Finally, it was time to go home. Harry, Draco, and their kids were some of the last to leave, but eventually they made their way toward the floo. Harry was pushing an exhausted and scruffy looking Albus and Scorpius in front of him, while Draco carried a passed out Lily on his hip, and Teddy and James followed behind totally worn out.

The good thing being that they would have no problem going to sleep that night.

Before they stepped into the floo, Molly and Arthur bid them good night with hugs and hand shakes.

"Thank you for coming, Draco dear." Molly whispered into Draco's ear as she gave him and tight squeeze ever mindful of his little girl burden. "And thank you for taking care of Harry and the kids. It's easy to see just how happy you make them."

Pulling back, Draco stared at her stunned before stuttering a choked thank you of his own. Molly just smiled sweetly at him and patted his cheek before moving away and Arthur took her place.

"Look after of them, son." Arthur told him quietly and smiled at him slightly as they shook hands. "We hope you'll come back sometime and have dinner with us again." He said as if that first command had never slipped from his lips.

Draco just found it in himself to nod. "I will." He agreed shakily. To which part he was agreeing, he hardly knew.

Turning away from the older couple and back toward the floo, Draco saw a beautifully smiling Harry watching him with shining green eyes, messy black hair, and four exhausted boys standing around him. Draco felt his heart beat painfully full in his chest and knew he'd have no problems following either of Arthur's requests.

They made it into Grimmauld Place with a minimum of fuss and were soon ushering the children up the stairs and into the bathroom to wash their faces and brush their teeth before they were tucked in snugly to their beds and the lights turned off.

Draco just pulled away from placing a kiss on his sleeping son's forehead and running a gentle hand over Albus's hair who was curled up next to him. It had been a good night. A hundred times better than he would have expected it to be.

Closing the bedroom door behind him, he found Harry leaning against the opposite wall watching him with glowing eyes.

"You're staying, aren't you?" He asked softly so his voice wouldn't carry to the sleeping children in their beds.

"I will if you want me to." Draco responded just as quietly, his heart suddenly thundering in his chest.

"I do." Harry nodded, pushing away from the wall and stepping toward him till their chests were almost touching. "I want you to stay very much, Draco." He whispered.

His breath caught in his throat a moment before Harry's lips fell on his and suddenly their arms were around one another and all either of them could feel, other than their lips and hands and tongues, was heat and need.

Harry broke their mouths' contact for a second to murmur, "My bedroom," before they were fused together again and moving without a thought passed the fire burning in their veins.

Later, Draco wouldn't have been able to recall how exactly they got up a flight of stairs and their clothing completely divested, but he would have said it had taken way too long anyway. Finally they collapsed together on Harry's large soft bed, bare flesh pressing to bare flesh and lips and tongues kissing and licking every spare inch of skin they could reach.

It was hot, so hot, and wonderful. Draco had never experienced anything like it. He could feel his need pounding and aching between his legs, like he could feel Harry's, hot and damp against his belly and sliding against his own. It forced a whine out of his flushed and bruised lips.

"Are you sure?" Harry panted against his collarbone where he'd been leaving his mark on Draco's pale flesh. "Draco?"

"God, yes!" Draco gasped and arched when Harry sucked a straining nipple between his lips to lav at it with his tongue. "Please, Harry. I want to."

Lifting his head from Draco's chest for a moment he stared into his dilated, hungry gray eyes and nodded, his own green ones reflecting back just as much hunger and need.

Harry took his time teasing and preparing him until Draco's chest was heaving with the effort to take in air and his highs were quivering and sweaty. Leaning forward he nuzzled Draco's throbbing, red member drawing a needy whimper from deep in his throat.

"Ready?" He breathed, voice deep and rough with the effort of holding back.

Draco's eyes popped open, wide and blown with lust. "Wait." He gasp reaching over to the nightstand where they'd both tossed their wands. He scrabbled for his a moment before he finally snatched it up and pointed the tip at his belly just below his navel and murmured, "_Tutela Fertilitas(_2)."

He hissed as the chill of the contraceptive spell passed through his skin to settle inside him before the cold dissipated. They both held their breath for a moment before Draco met Harry's eyes and he nodded. The heat and the fire and the hunger was quick to return.

"Ready?" Harry asked again as he moved up Draco's body and pressed himself close, their lips just brushing together.

Draco couldn't tear his eyes away from Harry's, but he sucked in a breath and nodded, clutching at Harry's upper arms tightly as he started to press forward penetrating him inch by inch.

It burned in the best kind of way imaginable. He hadn't felt this kind of pleasure for nearly eight years and even then it wasn't this torturous.

Draco finally broke eye contact to throw his head back with a shout of ecstasy. Wrapping his shaking, sweating legs around Harry's waist he helped set the pace; deep and long and hard. Soon, all that could be heard was their panting, gasping breaths and their flesh sliding together eliciting moans and yelps of pleasure.

It seemed to go on forever, but was soon over much too soon. Harry could feel the pressure building and reached down with one shaking hand to grasp Draco's member tightly and pump him until he came with an echoing shout coating their bellies in hot fluid. That tore at Harry's last thread of control and he gave one more hard thrust before emptying himself deep inside Draco's burning hot body.

They laid together catching their breaths still joined intimately together. Harry peppered tender kisses over Draco's shoulder and neck, while he stroked shaking hands up and down Harry's damp back.

"You are beautiful." Harry murmured against Draco's salty skin. "Amazing."

He gave a tired chuckled at that and threaded the fingers of one hand into Harry's sweat dampened black hair. "_You _are amazing, Harry." He sighed, pressing his mouth to Harry's temple. "I've never felt like that before."

A sparkling green eye peaked at him from under raven colored bangs. "Really?"

"Mm." He smiled and leaned forward to place a tired satisfied kiss on Harry's lips. "I love you." He whispered against his mouth, gray eyes regarding him nervously.

A blinding smile broke over Harry's face as he lifted himself up from Draco's chest to get better access to deepen their kiss before he pulled away for a moment and nuzzled their noses together lovingly. "I love you, too, Draco."

"Even after years of hating each other and such a short time of being real friends?" Draco asked dazedly, eyes half lidded as their noses and lips still caressed one another.

"Yeah." Harry breathed in small parts amazement and large parts absolute certainty. "Yeah, I love you. More than I would have thought possible." He pulled back and looked into his eyes. "More than I could have imagined."

Draco's heart gave a painful beat against his ribs causing him to gasp and wrap his arms around Harry's neck, holding on tightly. "Thank you." He whispered against Harry's neck. "Thank you."

He wasn't exactly sure what he was thanking him for, but Harry seemed to understand. He just rolled them over, slipping from inside Draco in the process, and holding him against his chest firmly.

A whispered _Nox _had the lights in the room extinguishing and soon Harry and Draco were fast asleep, embracing each other as if they'd done it all their lives.

* * *

(1) _ma maman_... _votre maman a de très jolis cheveux_. : my mommy... your mommy has very pretty hair.

(2) _Tutela Fertilitas_: Latin, translation is "Guard Fertility".


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 7,205  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Fourteen*****

Draco awoke to the sound of giggling and the smells of breakfast wafting up five floors from the kitchen. He had a vague memory of Harry dressed in a ratty t-shirt and a pair of jeans pressing a kiss to his sleepy lips before stepping out of the room. That must have been when he went down to fix breakfast, Draco thought.

Groaning with hunger and stiffness, Draco rolled onto his back and stretched. He ached amazingly pleasantly. His butt and lower back ached the worst, but he didn't mind. It reminded him of the amazing things Harry did to cause that ache.

His groin gave a stir of arousal and Draco figured he might as well hop in the shower before those thoughts led to other things he didn't have time for with a house filled with children and a breakfast to consume waiting for him.

It took him only a moment to find the en-suite bathroom for the master bedroom after he pulled himself from the amazingly comfortable bed. The bathroom was traditional, but not outdated. The tile was timeless and the hardware a burnished copper that matched the cabinetry with its cherry colored wood. It was simple, but tasteful. Draco found himself impressed.

A quick search later found the towels; all different colors and textures. He shook his head in amusement and selected a fluffy blue one before turning toward the single sink and using the spare toothbrush that Harry had left out for him.

Upon looking in the mirror for the first time, toothbrush stuck in his mouth and toothpaste foam gathering at the corners of his mouth, Draco raised an eyebrow at his reflection. It wasn't really anything he hadn't been expecting; mussy hair, creases where the sheets imprinted on his chest, but what he found interesting, or amusing -either one, was the love bite just under his left collar bone.

At least Harry had the presence of mind to put in somewhere out of sight. The last thing he needed was to be asked a bunch of questions that their children didn't need the answers to just quite yet.

_Their_ children. He liked the sound of that. Very much, indeed.

And of course they had to have the five smartest most inquisitive children known to man. He snorted at himself as he started up the shower and hopped in when it hit the perfect temperature.

Sighing, he dipped his head under the spray and let the warm water wash away his linger aches and the evidence of their love making from the night before. This felt wonderful. He felt sated, warm, and loved. Perfect.

Brushing wet hair from his eyes he scanned the shelf in front of him searching for the shampoo. He snatched up a likely bottle and read the label. It told him little to nothing other than _Shampoo_, so he popped the top open and took a sniff.

The scent of citrus and spice drifted up his nose. It was Harry's shampoo.

A soft smile played at his lips as he poured some in his palm and began massaging it into his scalp.

His shower went quickly after that and by the time he hopped back out and dried himself off with his fluffy blue towel he was absolutely starving. God, he'd forgotten just how hungry sex made him.

A quick rifling through drawers and a small walk-in closet later, Draco had pulled on a pair of jeans that were just a smidgen big around the waist and a tad long in the leg, and a muggle sweatshirt that smelled like Harry's detergent.

He went barefoot down the stairs until he rounded the corner to the kitchen to find all five kids still in their pajamas talking and giggling with each other while Harry stood in front of the stove, jeans riding just a tad low, and bare feet tapping some random rhythm as he scrambled eggs and flipped pancakes.

Draco had never been more in love.

"'Morning Daddy!" Scorpius called from his seat at the table next to Albus.

"Good morning." Draco smiled at him leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead before he did the same to Albus next to him then James and Teddy on the other side of the table. He got to Lily and she just wrapped her arms around his neck and traded kisses on their cheeks.

Pulling away, Draco looked up to find Harry eying him with a happy smile on his lips. "Do you want one too?" Draco asked him teasingly.

"Yes, please." Harry smirked and leaned into the chaste close-mouthed kiss Draco pressed to his lips. "Good morning, love."

"Mm. Good morning." Draco grinned and pulled away to peak over his shoulder at the breakfast smoking and cooking on the stove. "What are you cooking?"

Harry grinned and turned away. "Ah, well, scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, and a couple of waffles in the toaster for Lily." He pointed to each thing in turn.

A small frown creased at Draco's blond brow. "What's a toaster?"

A laugh escaped Harry before he pointed to the stainless steel contraption plugged into the wall socket on the kitchen counter. "That's a toaster. You put breaded items in the slots and it toasts them for you."

Draco took a step forward and stared at it in puzzlement. They didn't have anything like this at the Manor. All of their bread was toasted the hard way. He was just getting a closer look at the heated coils on either side of the waffles in the slots when they suddenly jumped toward his face with a surprising _pop_!

"Ah!" He yelp as he jumped back from it with a hand pressed to his pounding heart, the children's giggles sounding from behind him. "Is it supposed to do that?" He demanded with an angered scowl at his lover.

Harry struggled to hide his own amusement from him and failed. "Sorry, love. I forgot to warn you. When it's done toasting it pops the item up so you can pull them out."

Draco glared at him then turned his furious eyes on the still giggling children behind him. "I bet you all think that was funny."

Scorpius curled around his belly as he overflowed with mirth. "It was hilarious!" He exclaimed as he leaned against Albus for support.

"Traitor." Draco grumbled before he snatched a plate from the stack on the counter and dropped the hot waffles onto it before placing it in front of a flushed and happy Lily.

The rest of breakfast was served soon after that and everyone ate contentedly. The kids laughed and giggled and regaled their parents with stories from the night before, while Harry and Draco took the opportunity to just enjoy being all together for a quiet, late breakfast as they cast knowing looks at each other and tangled their bare feet together under the table.

Draco sighed as he sipped at the tea Harry had fixed him and watched the activity around him happily. He wanted this for his family. He wanted this beautiful man, and these amazing children, and if there was one thing Malfoys excelled at, it was getting exactly what they wanted.

Come hell or high water, this would be his family.

He smiled and enjoyed himself through the rest of breakfast.

* * *

Harry flooed over to the Manor with the kids on the day of his and Lucius's meeting with Luna feeling all kinds of trepidation. He explained to Lucius that Luna wanted to meet them there at the Manor and received a withering glare and a sneer for his trouble.

"How will Miss Lovegood find her way here if no one, but yourself and Ministry can floo in?" He'd inquired disdainfully.

All Harry could do was shrug nervously and answer, "Luna will find a way."

It had been an hour since then and in another fifteen minutes Luna would be late for their meeting. Harry was currently seated in the formal sitting room sipping fitfully at his tea while Lucius tapped his cane on the marble floor and drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair impatiently.

Harry had developed a horrible twitch in his leg by the time, amazingly enough, a massive chiming of bells echoed throughout the whole house.

Jumping in surprise, Harry shot a look at Lucius who was frowning, his tapping and drumming halted. "What on earth is that? Fletcher!"

"Yes, Master Lucius?" The little house-elf appeared with a sharp crack.

"What on earth was that racket? I've never heard anything like it." Lucius demanded impatiently.

The house-elf fidgeted nervously before answering. "That is being the doorbell, sir."

"Doorbell?" Lucius sneered in confusion. "We have a doorbell?"

"Yes, Master." Fletcher nodded, his hands continuously wringing together.

"Huh." Lucius grunted thoughtfully. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go see who it is." He instructed dismissively.

Harry watched the whole thing in amazement. Lucius Malfoy has lived in this Manor his entire life, generations of Malfoys have lived in it before him and he didn't know he had doorbell? Well, that could be a bit understandable.

The Manor was unplottable. No one would be ringing the doorbell if they couldn't find the place to begin with.

Soon the elf reappeared with a rather bemused expression on its pointy gray face. "Master, there is a girl, a Missy Lovegood, at the door."

Lucius's eyebrows rose into his hair line and Harry stared at the elf in shock. Luna had found the unplottable Manor and rang the doorbell as if it were any other home she'd been invited to. A surprised snort of laughter escaped him and he quickly smothered it when Lucius turned a sharp scowl at him. Only Luna, only Luna.

"Show the girl in." Lucius instructed the confused elf before he stood from his seat and smoothed down his business robes with a practiced hand.

Harry did the same, turning to the doorway just as Luna skipped in, dreamy eyes scanning the decore with interest, her necklace of butterbeer corks and radish earrings firmly in place. They didn't really look out of place when paired with her sunshine yellow robes printed with large daisies.

Giving his friend a bright smile, Harry stepped forward and pulled her into a welcoming hug. "Luna, how did you get here?" He asked when they'd pulled back.

Luna just smiled at him absently, her eyes drifting off around the room in fascination. "It wasn't hard. I just followed the peacocks."

Harry shot a look at Lucius who was staring at the girl as if she'd just told him he'd look good in a tutu.

"Luna, this is Lucius Malfoy." He hastened to the reintroductions before she said something that forced Lucius to seriously question her sanity.

"Oh, yes!" She stepped forward and stuck her hand out to be shaken. "I remember you, quite well." Luna asserted in all seriousness. "You had more Wrackspurts than even Harry, but they seem to have all gone away now." She smiled leaning forward to peer closely at him.

"That's- very nice." Lucius hedged awkwardly as he shook her hand, leaning away from her as she continued to lean forward. "It was good of you to meet with us, Miss Lovegood."

Luna just released his hand turned around in a circle still studying the room intently. "Oh, it was no problem." She answered airily. "Harry asked me especially, and you sent a very interesting letter. I'm really quite curious now." She smiled.

The two men watched her stare at one particular wall for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say until she blinked and turned her blue gaze back on Lucius. "Your home is much less itchy than it was." She told him. "I like it much better than I did last time."

Lucius just stared at her incomprehensibly for a moment before he fell back on his aristocratic manners and nodded politely. "Thank you, Miss Lovegood. I'm- glad that you find it to your liking."

She just smiled at him and turned to stride for the door. "Well, we should probably floo now. We wouldn't want to miss the wheat-grass special. It's my favorite."

Lucius shot Harry a quelling look before he followed her out of the sitting room and toward the floo. Harry just sighed, already immensely tired and shuffled off behind them.

They flooed directly into the little vegan cafe, Greene Thumbe, Luna had picked out. Lucius took one sneering look around the place with its store front of windows, its order-at-the-counter set up, and its various spacey clientel and hated the place immediately. Of course, he took a deep breath resigning himself to some horrid grassy concoction and followed Potter and Lovegood toward the counter to place their order.

Potter paid for their meals and soon they were seated at a small table off in one corner, food in front of them and the whole of the establishment staring at the Boy-Who-Lived and the infamous Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy, eating vegan wraps and salads with none other than Loony Lovegood. Lucius would be the first to admit that it was odd even for all of the things he'd seen in his life.

He lifted his humus, eggplant, and tabbouleh wrap to his mouth and took a healthy bite. He chewed thoughtfully and swallowed tentatively. When it didn't immediately come back up, he figured it didn't taste so bad and took another bite, this one more eager than the first.

Luna watched him with unblinking, knowing eyes as she munched on her wheat-grass special. Harry watched Lucius with near crippling trepidation until the man seemed to begin easing out of his complete disdain and into mild annoyance, then he sighed in relief, picked up his own avocado and sprout wrap and began eating.

Setting his half eaten wrap down on his plate, Lucius wiped his hands elegantly on his paper napkin, and cleared his throat. "Miss Lovegood, as I'm sure you are aware, Mr. Potter would like to invest in your- magazine." He began.

Luna nodded sagely. "Yes, your letter said that. I would very much appreciate any investment Harry would like to make." She said quite intelligently and coherently.

Seeming completely unfazed by her calmness, Lucius reached into his robes and pulled out a folder of information. "Good, then shall we look at what we can come to an agreement on?"

Surprisingly enough, to Harry at least, the meeting went perfectly smoothly from then on. Lucius seemed to take Luna's occasional dreamy comment in stride as they negotiated intrest, and amounts, and research, and yearly earnings, and everything really.

By the time they had all eaten their lunch, Harry was now the only person to invest in the _Quibbler_, and Luna had the money she and her father needed to do the research and reporting on a conspiracy within the Ministry. It had turned out to be a pretty good day so far. If only it would stay that way.

Harry hugged Luna goodbye outside of Greene Thumbe after she and Lucius exchanged amiable handshakes. The two men watched her skip away down the Alley with a smile and wave tossed back at them before she disappeared into the crowd.

"She is a very odd girl." Lucius said after she'd gone. "Very, very odd, but intelligent."

"I suppose she would be." Harry said, glancing at Lucius from the corner of his eye. "She was in Ravenclaw at Hogwarts."

"Hm." Lucius nodded absently. "A year younger than you and Draco, if I remember correctly."

"Yes." Harry slipped his hands into his dress-trouser pockets. "She's very brave. Believed in me through the whole of the war." He commented without thinking.

Cool gray eyes regarded him before Lucius turned his head away and stepped onto the street heading towards Gringotts. "She was with you in the Department of Mysteries." Lucius said blandly, as if talking of the weather. "She was braver even than a few of my own Death Eaters that night."

Harry just grinned wryly at him as they walked next to each other down Diagon Alley drawing copious amounts of jaw dropping attention. "Yep, that's our Luna." He chirped.

They walked the rest of the way to Gringotts in silence, both men watching the stunned crowds around them cautiously; Harry's hand hovering over his wand in his holster, Lucius's grip tight and ready on his snake-head cane.

Finally, they made it into the bank without any trouble and they both relaxed fractionally.

Harry stepped up to one of the goblins at the front desk and placed two keys on the marble counter. "I would like access to these two vaults." He said formally.

The goblin picked up the keys and examined them thoroughly before he nodded fractionally and slid them back over the counter. "And would you like your own cart for the duration of your visit?"

Harry glanced over his shoulder at Lucius who nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yes, thank you." Harry responded after he turned back to the goblin.

"Very well." The goblin stepped off of his stool and called to another goblin measuring rubies at one of the counters against the wall.

Soon, he and Lucius were both seated next to each other in a cart zooming through the tunnels at stomach turning speeds.

They lurched to a gut wrenching stop in front of a vault numbered 145. Harry had to close his eyes for a moment before the stalactites stopped spinning.

"Here we are Mr. Potter." The little goblin stepped out of the cart and gestured to the massive vault door. "Vault number one hundred and forty-five."

Harry climbed out rather less gracefully than Lucius who strolled onto the walkway as elegantly as could be not a hair out of place. Harry spared him a scowl when Lucius quirked him an amused smirk at his jelly legs, before he turned to the goblin and thanked him.

He fingered the correct key out of his pocket and slid it into the lock, turning it as easily as any lock he'd every tried. There was a near deafening series of knocks, bangs, and clicks before the door grinded open to reveal a pitch black vault.

"This is the Potter Heirloom vault." The goblin croaked from behind him. "Before you proceed, here are some preserving gloves to protect the treasures inside." He pulled out a pair of silken cream colored gloves from his pocket.

Harry took a set, as did Lucius who didn't hesitate to pull the gloves on and make a fist testingly. Watching, Harry did the same hoping that they would fit only to feel them shrink down to fit like a second skin around his hand. Slightly amazed, Harry wiggled his fingers and smiled in delight.

Turning back to his vault, he stepped forward and pulled his wand out casting a _Lumos _to see through the darkness. It didn't help much.

"How am I supposed to see anything in here?" He grumbled with a frown on his face.

Lucius stepped up with a roll of his eyes drawing his own wand and tapping the end to a stone gutter jutting out of the vault walls at eye level and murmured, "_Incendio_".

Almost faster than Harry could watch, a stream of fire burned all the way around the room perfectly contained in its stone gutter and lighting every object inside perfectly.

"Whoa." He breathed, before giving Lucius an impressed look that was met with another roll of his gray eyes.

Stepping into the vault, Harry couldn't figure out where to look first. There was furniture, jewels, clothing, and books, lots of books. Some of them had frayed spines and pages sticking up and out further than the rest and some of them looked pristine if a bit dusty. Harry could feel his fingers itching with the need to explore.

He decided to start at one corner and wind his way around, Lucius following in his wake.

First thing, he stepped up to the table and stand filled with armor, swords, spears, daggers, a bows and quivers still filled with arrows. He breathed in amazement and ran his gloved hand over the blade of a jeweled sword that eerily resembled the Sword of Gryffindor.

"That would be a goblin made sword." Lucius murmured quietly in his ear so that the goblin waiting for them at the cart wouldn't hear. "The inscription, if I'm not mistaken -my goblin is a tad rusty mind- translates to 'take me up'," he lifted the sword from the table by the hilt and flipped it over to read the other side, "and 'caste me away'(1)."

Harry stared at the magnificent sword as it glinted in the fire light, diamonds, blue topaz, and jacinth shone brightly, embedded in the hilt(2).

Lucuis frowned at the sword then his eyes widened in dawning horror. "My God." He breathed.

Snapping his head around, Harry looked at him worriedly. "What?"

The other man continued to stare at the sword in his hands in awe before he gingerly set it back on the table and tore his eyes away to give Harry an inscrutable look. "You, Potter, are full of surprises."

"What?" Harry frowned and leaned away in confusion. "What does that have to do with the sword?" He asked in annoyance.

"Nothing." Lucius shrugged before running a finger down flat of the blade negligently. "Just that you have now inherited King Arthur's infamous sword, Excalibur."

"I- What?" Harry's jaw fell open before he turned his wide green eyes on the sword Lucius had just held. "No-fucking-way." He breathed reaching over and curling his hands around the hilt. A small tingle of recognition sparked up his arm, causing to him jump.

"Oh yes, Mr. Potter." Lucius nodded gravely turning his gaze on the seemingly unsuspecting sword as Harry lifted it up and stared at it. "Oh indeed, yes."

"Shit." Harry gingerly set it back down and combed a gloved hand through his hair looking as if he was about to faint.

"Come now, Potter." Lucius smirked in amusement. "You always knew you were from good stock. This can't really be a surprise to you, can it?"

Harry shook himself out his daze helped along by Lucius's sarcasm and gathered up the presence of mind to glare at him. "Shut it, you. Let's keep looking, shall we?"

Lucius didn't seem to mind his rudeness, simply chuckling darkly as he followed him through the seemingly endless rows and piles of old magical things.

They paused at an odd wooden staff in one of the back corners of the room, Harry looked at it curiously.

"What do you suppose this is?" He asked, running his fingers over the smooth twists in the staff, his eyes fastened on the huge blue marque shaped stone caged in fingers of wood at the top.

Lucius hummed as he leaned forward to get a better look and tried to decipher the runes circling the staff in equally spaced bands. "I'm not sure, but I think it's a magical staff. Much like the staffs wizards carried before the time when secrecy became vital for survival and wizards began crafting wands instead."

He tapped his chin in thought as he leaned closer squinting at the rubbed out carvings not having any clue what they meant. "Pick it up." He instructed dismissively. "See what happens."

Harry turned an aghast look on him causing Lucius to just lean away from the staff and roll his eyes. "Really. It should be just like testing wands. Nothing catastrophic is going to happen."

Snorting, Harry muttered, "Right, nothing catastrophic if you're anyone, but me." But he ignored the nagging in the back of his mind and curled his hand around the surprisingly warm wood of the staff and lifted it off the ground.

Almost immediately, he felt a near painful flash of power arc up his arm and sear through his body. There was an earth thrumming boom and a wave of magical energy jolted outward like a ripple over water.

They both sucked in gasps of breath as the power washed over them and Harry could feel the blood in his veins begin to sizzle as the stone atop the staff glowed blindingly bright.

"Potter!" Lucius chocked from next to him, the magic in the air suffocatingly thick. "Drop it, Potter, before you kill us both!"

With gargantuan effort, Harry pried his fingers open and the staff fell to the ground, the stone blinking out into darkness.

They stood there for a moment, their knees shaking and their lungs sucking in painful gulps of air. "What in the bloody hell was that?" Harry gasped, sweat dripping into his eyes.

"I have no earthly idea." Lucius murmured from next to him sounding more poised than he had a moment ago, and much more calm. "That should not have happened."

"Well, then why did it?" Harry demanded as he placed a hand on the wall in front of him to keep from falling to the ground himself. "What the fuck was that?"

"Calm yourself, Potter!" Lucius snapped, straightening the few hairs that had fallen out of their ribbon when the wave had hit them. "That should have worked exactly like a wand. Either you feel a small tingle of power or you feel nothing. There should have been absolutely no- none of what just occurred."

Harry shot him a frightened, confused look until he just sighed and wiped a gloved hand over his face. "The only explanation I can think of was that the previous owner used the staff to hold -capture- magic to be released when it was touch, or..." He took a deep breath and turned unfathomable gray eyes on a sweaty, shaky Harry Potter. "Or your power is far greater than you realize and you unwittingly allowed the staff to amplify it."

That made Harry blanch. "God." He croaked and pushed himself off the wall, shaking his head to rid himself of that thought. "Right, let's continue." He suggested, not leaving room for argument.

Lucius let the subject drop, but eyed the staff warily as they passed it on their journey around the room.

Finally, they reached the wall filled with books and Harry just stared at it totally baffled with the idea of even choosing where to start. "What do you suppose is in them?" He asked lamely.

"Well, I would guess words and knowledge, Potter. What do you normally think is possessed in books?" Lucius drawled sardonically before reaching forward and carefully pulling a battered volume from its place on the shelf.

It didn't have a title so he gingerly opened the front cover and flipped through a few pages till he found the the actual contents. He scanned a bit then hummed, sounding impressed.

"What?" Harry asked, warily eying the book with distrust.

"This, Potter, appears to be the research journal of the legendary Potions Mistress, Esther Luise Potter. She was a genius in potions in her time. A true Potioneer." Lucius told him as he continued to turn the pages gently, scanning them interestedly. "Fascinating." He muttered to himself completely engrossed.

Harry watched him with some amusement then rolled his eyes. Carefully, he pulled another tattered looking book from its place and opened it to read the first page bearing words. The writing was completely by hand and in a sharp swirling script that was very difficult to read, but eventually Harry deciphered what the lone paragraph on the title page said.

_Ignotus Peverell_

_January-December_

He sucked in a sharp breath, drawing Lucius's attention.

"What is it, Potter?" He asked, seeming unconcerned.

Harry just stared at the page for a moment before he turned stunned green eyes on him. "Ignotus Peverell. This is one of his journals." He gestured uselessly to the book in his hands.

"No." Lucius breathed in astonishment before he looked over Harry's shoulder and read the words himself. "Good lord, Potter. Do you even know who Ignotus Peverell _is_?" He asked incredulously, completely stunned.

"Of course I bloody well do!" He snapped pulling his eyes from the book to glare at Lucius. "I have his bloody Cloak of Invisibility."

Lucius's jaw really did drop then. "You have one of the Deathly Hallows?" He croaked, looking like he wanted to faint.

Harry just shrugged. "I didn't know that's what it was until the Second War. Then I found out that Voldemort was searching for the Elder Wand and Dumbledore gave me the Resurrection Stone and well." He shrugged again, the journal still clasped in one hand. "Voldemort was stupid enough to not want all three." A grin flashed over his face.

Lucius made a pained sound in the back of his throat and fell to lean heavily against the book shelf, Esther Potter's journal still clasped loosely in his hands. "You had two of the three Deathly Hallows?"

He shook his head and nearly laughed at the look of relief that washed over Lucius's face before he wiped it off again. "I had all three at one time. But now..." He trailed off and shrugged negligently.

A chocked retching noise came from Lucius and Harry just had to laugh. "Calm down, Malfoy." He chuckled. "It's not that big of a deal. I don't have the other two anymore, so it's not like I'm all powerful or anything."

Lucius just glared at him balefully. "You might as well be, you brat."

Another laugh barreled out of him and Harry was feeling so much better than when they had started this. Dragging a hand through his bangs, Harry smiled at him. "Come on, then. Let's keep looking through these books. I think I might just want to take the journals with me so I can read through them."

Sighing a sigh of long suffering, Lucius straightened and slipped the potions journal back into its place then began looking through the other books on the shelf.

Soon, they were growing weary and if they wanted to make it the Black Heirloom vault that day they were going to have to stop.

Harry huffed out a tired breath and rubbed at his aching neck. "How do you think we can take all of these back out with us?"

"The goblin should have a bag suitable." Lucius answered before he turned toward the vault door and began speaking to the waiting goblin in low, cool tones.

Harry watched him return with a deep purple velvet bag that looked just big enough to fit one or two of the books and not much more. He frowned. "How are we going to take them all out of here in that?"

Rolling his eyes, Lucius loosened the golden drawstring around the top and shook the bag out. "You live in the Wizarding World, Potter, and you can't guess that not everything is exactly as it seems?" He inquired disapprovingly.

Harry felt himself blush and scowled at him. "Fine, whatever. Let's start packing these up."

It took them the better part of fifteen minutes to gingerly place every single book into the small velvet bag, but when they were done it looked like it held a single thin book and didn't weigh much more. Lucius raised his eyebrow at the impressed look Harry was shooting the bag causing him to flush and scowl at him again.

Soon, they had locked the vault up behind them and were once again in the cart zooming off through the tunnels faster than was strictly healthy.

They lurched to a stop once again. Harry wasted no time in scrambling out of the cart and forcing his legs to steady. He looked up at another massive vault door that was numbered 212.

"Vault two hundred and twelve, the Black Heirloom vault." The goblin announced boredly. "I will await you both here. I have another bag should you require it."

They both nodded to him as they stepped up to the door. Harry pulled out the key and slid it into the lock. He tried to turn it, but found it stiff and jerky as the mechanisms grinded like rusty bolts. Finally, he had it turned all the way and a reverberating clang signaled the end of the revolution. Harry waited for the kinds of sound that had followed at the Potter vault, but he heard nothing.

He cast a puzzled look at Lucius who simply stared back impassively. Rolling his eyes, Harry gripped the handle tightly and gave it a mighty tug. Nothing happened for a moment then an ear splitting shriek echoed through the tunnels.

Jumping away from the door, Harry was half expecting another horrible family portrait to appear howling and cursing at him, but soon he realized that it was just the rusted hinges of the door screaming in protest. The door swung agonizingly slowly on its own, the shrieks and groans of metal never ceasing till it halted abruptly leaving the vault completely open.

Harry and Lucius traded raised eyebrows before he stepped up and cast _Incendio _into the lighting gutter like Lucius had at the Potter vault.

The fire raced around the room once more lighting the contents brightly. Harry tentatively stepped through the door and looked around. It didn't seem all that different from his Potter vault except for a few distinguishing pieces. The massive, jewel inlaid Black crest propped up in the corner for one. _Toujours Pur(_3).

They began at one end and worked their way around like they had before. Harry didn't pause until he came upon a coal black suit of armor, the Black crest emblazoned up on the shield and the hilt of the sword.

"Hey, Lucius. Is this what I think it is?" He asked, pointing weakly at the armor.

Lucius stepped forward and examined the suit before nodding dismissively. "The original suit of armor worn by the Black Knight. He killed his mother after the ghost of his father revealed that she had murdered him. Then he accompanied his half-brother, the Faerie Knight, on some adventure or another. At least that's what the legend was."

Harry stared at the suit of armor in awe, his eyes picking out the dents and nicks from battle and duels as they scarred the otherwise perfect metal.

"Are all pure-blood wizard families connected to Arthurian legends?" He squeaked, looking back at Lucius's amused face.

"No." He answered simply before turning away to continue looking through the other artifacts.

Shaking his head, Harry turned away from the armor and wondered off toward an ornately carved chest of drawers. The wood was warm and smooth under his hands. Beautiful faeries, howling wolves, and elegantly sweeping vines were carved into the chest making it whimsical and mesmerizing. He absently pulled open a drawer only to gape at its contents.

There, inside were piles of rubies, and emeralds, and sapphires, and diamonds, wrinkled lumps of gold and shiny veins of silver, all just laying in that drawer. He felt an incessant urge to reach forward and just pick up one jewel, just one to see if it was real.

A strong hand grabbed his wrist and stilled his hand's progress before his fingers could curl around a glittering jewel. Harry blinked dazedly and shook his head to clear it. "What?"

"Do not touch those, Potter." Lucius murmured warningly as he slowly slid the drawer closed again.

The moment the treasure was out of sight, Harry sucked in a huge breath of air and took a shaky step back. "What hell was that?"

Lucius released his hand and turned to regard the chest of drawers curiously. "I can't be quite certain as this piece is far older than any artifact of cursed furniture I've had the pleasure to examine up till now, but I think it could be a Capturing Chest."

"What exactly is that?" Harry asked warily edging around the wooden chest to get Lucius between himself and it.

Watching him amusedly, Lucius answered, "It's a chest, in this case a chest of drawers, that is cursed to capture beings that succumb to the temptations of greed and thievery. It will literally suck you into its depths turning you into a jewel to temp others."

Harry shuddered. "So all those gems and stuff that I saw. They weren't real?"

"I'm afraid not." Lucius murmured choosing not to mention that they were most likely the souls of other less fortunate beings who'd been lured in. He turned from the chest and placed a guiding hand on Harry's shoulder. "Come over here, there is something I want you to see."

Harry let himself be lead until they reached the opposite wall where he looked up and his jaw dropped in amazement. "Oh, wow." He breathed and took a step closer to the tapestry hanging from the ceiling of the vault.

He hesitated before laying a hand on it, glancing over his shoulder questioningly at Lucius. He nodded in answer and Harry turning his attention back to the tapestry.

It was amazing. A deep black velvet, softer than anything Harry had ever felt, backed with what appeared to be woven strands of silver that were then threaded through the velvet to serve as prongs holding millions of small and large diamonds alike to look like stars in the night sky.

"This is beautiful." Harry murmured as his gloved fingers ran over the diamonds, feeling their facets and faces.

"It's a complete family tree." Lucius told him stepping closer and drawing his attention to the small silver threads that connected the diamonds together and spelled out Black family names. "It's faerie made velvet with a backing of goblin forged platinum. The diamonds are real diamonds, hence the need for platinum instead of silver. Silver is too soft to securely hold a diamond."

Harry whistled and looked up at the top of the tapestry realizing, now that he was looking, he could see constellations in the diamonds and the stars that are named and placed perfectly. "This is just- just amazing."

"Mm." Lucius agreed, then lifted his finger and pointed to a diamond and the platinum stitched name beneath it. "Draco Lucius Malfoy and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." He tapped the star beneath it.

Harry smiled and scanned the tapestry for another name. "Ah! Look. Theodore Remus Lupin. It is a complete family tree! No one is blasted off of it." He exclaimed in excitement.

Lucius smirked at him. "I take it you are familiar with Walburga's rendition, then."

"Ugh. Yes. That horrid woman stuck the damn thing to my drawing room wall with a Dark permanent sticking charm. Took me ages to get the stupid tapestry down." He scowled just at the memory of it.

Chuckling, Lucius just stroked his fingers over the cloth and diamonds. "Well, the Black ancestors apparently valued a complete history of their future offspring. This will even have you and your children on it, from both sides if I'm not mistaken."

"Seriously?" Harry asked, shocked. Then he took a step back and squinted at the platinum threads. "Hey! There we are." And he was right. He and his children were there along with the rest of the Weasleys spanning out from Septimus Weasley and Cedrella Black. Then there was Molly's family, the Prewetts, coming from Lucretia Black and Ignatius Prewett.

The longer he looked at the tapestry the surer Harry was that there had to be some kind space magic spelled on it. No matter how far to the right or left he looked, the names never stopped the velvet never ended and yet, taking a step back, the tapestry never looked never ending.

"God." He groaned after studying the family tree for a moment longer. "All you pure-bloods are related."

A laugh barreled out of Lucius echoing through the vault. It sounded nice. Harry had never heard the man laugh before, other than an evil malicious laugh, but this one sounded nice. It was easy to see where Draco got his warm laugh from.

"We are somewhat interrelated, aren't we?" He mused. "Perhaps it's time for the pure-bloods to branch out a bit. Get some fresh blood in the family lines." He smirked at Harry's incredulous look and stepped away from the cloth.

"Do you want to look at the journals and books? Or do you want to just pack them up?" He asked as he strode toward the shelves of Black family tomes, nearly twice as many as from the Potter vault.

Harry considered that for a moment before making up his mind. "Could you check them for Dark curses and stuff? I would like to take all of them, but not if they'll suck out my soul or drink my blood. And I want to take this tapestry with me and study it a bit." He fingered a diamond and smiled absently at it.

Lucius watched him a moment before he nodded, "Certainly," and stepped out to get the other bag from the goblin.

It took them nearly an hour to figure out how to get the family tapestry down and stowed away without compromising it in anyway, but eventually they unstuck it from the wall and carefully rolled it up like a rug, slipping it into the little bottomless velvet bag gently. They moved onto the books and journals, Lucius confirming they were all curse free, and soon they were back in the cart then stepping out of the bank into the evening sun.

"Well, that took longer than I had expected." Lucius drawled as he held his cane under his arm and smoothed down any rumples in his robes.

"Thanks for coming with me." Harry told him sincerely. "I really appreciate you doing that for me."

Lucius studied him for a moment before waving at him dismissively. "Nonsense. You would have been killed a hundred times over if I hadn't accompanied you. Then Draco would have likely never spoken to me again." He finished with a nonchalant tap of his cane on the marble steps in front of Gringotts.

Harry just smiled at that and nodded. "Shall we head for the floos and see if the house-elves at the Manor have finished dinner?"

"I think so." Lucius nodded then the two of them began strolling their way toward the other end of the Alley, attracting no less attention than they had when they went in to begin with.

Harry grinned wryly to himself at that thought and patted the pocket of his robes that held the two velvet bags. Today had been... enlightening. Lucius and he had gotten along just fine and neither of them were stabbed to death and left to rot in a vault(4) hundreds of miles beneath the earth. All in all, it was a really good day.

* * *

(1, 2) This is one of the inscriptions that traditionally is rumored to be etched into the blade of Excalibur. Alfred, Lord Tennyson described the hilt of Excalibur to be like this in his poem, "Mort d'Arthur".

(3) _Toujours Pur_: The Black family motto in French, "Always Pure".

(4) An allusion to Oscar Wilde's novel, _The Picture of Dorian Gray,_ when Dorian stabbed his friend, Basil, to death and left him locked in the room with the Portrait.

* * *

TBC...


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 6,901  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

**P.S.**: Sorry for the long wait. I was having computer problems and then I got completely distracted with real life. I hope ya'll didn't give up on me! Enjoy!

*****Chapter Fifteen*****

Teddy was turning eleven. Harry approached this revelation as he would approach any double-edged sword; with extreme caution.

On one hand, he was ecstatic. On the other, he was biting his nails in dread.

"Stop that, Potter! That is the most disgusting habit I have ever seen." Draco slapped his hand away from his mouth with a revolted look on his face.

"Sorry." Harry said and started to bounce his leg up and down like a jittery piston.

Taking in his lover's nervous tics and his worried frown, Draco placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. "What's bothering you? You're twitching like a potion junky."

Harry was surprised into a laugh, before he took a deep breath and scrubbed his hands over his face. "I'm sorry. I'm just… It's just that Teddy's turning eleven later this month and I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" Draco shrugged and picked up his tea cup with his free hand. "You throw him a birthday party and give him extravagant gifts. Isn't that what you did for his other birthdays?"

All the response he received was a depressed, hang-dog look and a sigh.

Rolling his eyes, Draco moved his hand from Harry's shoulder and into his hair, tugging at it lightly. "Alright. So, what's the real problem, then? Because it's obviously not something normal people that aren't Harry Potter would understand without having to ask."

Harry scowled at him, but leaned into his massaging hand anyway. "It's not about a party or his presents. It's more about Andromeda… and Hogwarts."

"Ah." Now, Draco could see what the nervous habits were about. "Has she not talked to you, then?"

He shook his head dejectedly. "I never wanted to cut contact with her. I just didn't want her prejudice to make things hard on Teddy, or the kids, or you. I didn't think she would just disappear from our lives because I refused to allow her to dictate who I choose to expose him to."

"She's not talked to her sister, her family in decades, Harry." Draco said lowly. "Getting past disownment and years of hurt and hate will take a while."

"I know." He sighed. "She needs to let things like this go, but even if she can't, I don't want her to be completely estranged from Teddy. I never wanted that."

"She won't be." Draco assured him and leaned over to rest his chin on Harry's shoulder. "If she is anything like Mother, she'll have sat in her house for a few days brooding and pouting then she would have begun to look at things again and tried to see them differently. Andromeda will come around."

"Yeah." Harry didn't sound as convinced as Draco, but he was grateful for his effort. Turning his head he smiled slightly and nuzzled his nose against Draco's. "I just hope she figures things out before Teddy's birthday. It would devastate him if she wasn't there."

"She knows that. Andromeda wouldn't disappoint her grandson like that. She'll come around." He placed a chaste kiss on the corner of Harry's mouth before pulling away and returning to his afternoon tea.

He never thought he would relish sipping tea brewed from a box of tea bags out of an over sized mug with an obese cat painted on it, but it had become one of his favorite things in the day.

Harry didn't buy fresh tea leaves by the pound or have house-elves bake tea cakes every morning, but he had a half empty box of chocolate-chip cookies and fruity flavored tea bags.

It was so different from what he'd had his whole life, what Scorpius had, and they both loved it immensely.

Grimmauld place was an ancestral home, but it was no Malfoy Manor. It didn't have acres of manicured gardens, or full stables, or thirty rooms no one used, or half a dozen sitting rooms with furniture you can't sit on because they're older than dirt, but it has lots of color, and life, and is so obviously _Potter_ that it made Draco smile.

It was also somewhat ironic since Grimmauld was the Black ancestral house, but that made no difference. The place that had once reeked of Dark and sick and twisted, now smelled like sugar cookies, and finger paints, and little girl play perfume, and little boy sweat.

Draco smiled to himself and sipped at his tea; _Raspberry Zinger_, the tea bag had read.

Malfoy Manor would always be his home, the place he came back to, the place that stayed with him while he was gone, but Grimmauld, Harry's Grimmauld, held a special place in his heart now.

"I was thinking of redecorating some more rooms at the Manor." He said into the companionable silence that had fallen between them. "Mother's been talking about updating the kitchen with some of those magically converted muggle appliances, and it got me thinking that we haven't really done a complete overhaul as long as I've been alive."

The look on Harry's face when he said that should have been captured on film, but seeing as he had no desire to learn how to use one of those godforsaken contraptions, Draco just settled for laughing at him.

"What's with that face?" He gasped through his rolls of laughter. "You look like I just suggesting sacrificing a bunch of puppies to heathen gods."

Harry shook his head and schooled his completely devastated expression. "I do not!" He rubbed at his messy hair before frowning and glancing back at his lover. "It's just that I like the Manor. Some rooms I could perhaps live without ever having to see again, but the Manor itself is just…" He got a slightly dreamy expression on his face and sighed again. "It's wonderful."

"We wouldn't tear the place down or anything." Draco said with a slightly bemused expression. "We'd just update it, you know. Curtains, rugs, furniture, paint, wallpaper, that kind of thing."

Harry got a sullen, bashful look on his face. "I know. I just love the Manor." He never thought he would ever say that considering what he'd went through and witnessed there during the war, but there is was.

Malfoy Manor had grown on him in a way that only the Burrow and Grimmauld ever had. It felt lived in, loved, cherished, respected, wise almost. Places like that, places with generations and memories and laughter in them never let go once they adopted you.

That was one thing Harry had learned since he'd entered the Wizarding World. If a building stood steeped in magic for long enough it had an almost sentient feel to it if you listened hard enough.

He'd felt it first at Hogwarts. The deep pride the castle held in its students and professors. The heartbreaking sadness after the Final Battle had battered its walls.

Then he'd noticed it at the Burrow; the almost mischievous, nurturing warmth of the place. It felt quirky, and odd, and too full, but always welcome to more, and forever filled with love and cheer.

Grimmauld had been completely different, however. When Harry had stepped into it the first time in fifth year the whole house radiated menace. It felt sickly and crippled and Dark beyond recognition of what it once was. It felt like eyes staring into the back of your neck, that sudden uncomfortable chill in the air, that creak on the floor boards of an empty room.

It had taken a lot for Grimmauld to feel healthy again. Harry had to exorcise the house's Darkness like a doctor would cut away cancerous tumors. A troll leg here, a shrieking painting there, a house-elf head here until the virus was gone and the healing could begin.

Having the kids in the house helped a lot. The house almost felt relieved to have them. It felt like it was finally being appreciated, finally doing the job it was meant to do. Finally living.

He snorted at his own thoughts. Even for wizards, a living house was a far stretch of the imagination, but that was how some of the ancient places felt to Harry, like they had personalities of their own.

The Manor was different from the others though. It had a Dark side that didn't feel twisted, didn't feel malignant or malicious, just Dark. The Manor had been steeped in love and loyalty and happiness, but had also felt the touch of Death, and torture, and insanity.

Maybe that was why Harry felt such a strange connection with the Manor. It had been tainted with Darkness, but hadn't bent to it, hadn't fallen or succumbed to it. It'd taken its scars and still held onto itself.

In a way, the building reflected its occupants. The Manor had never quit, never been beaten into submission, just like the Malfoys. They'd made bad decisions, been punished for them, suffered for them, and still they had survived and were better for it.

In a way the Manor reminded Harry of himself as well. He'd never let all the pain and despair in his early life stop him from living, from continuing on.

"Just don't change too much about it, yeah?" He asked with a small smile.

Draco studied him for a moment before smiling knowingly and nodding. "I wouldn't want to change too much. I love it the way it is, too."

Harry grinned at him and plucked a cookie out of the plastic tray he'd pulled from the cookie box.

"What are you going to get Teddy for his birthday?" Draco asked changing the subject again.

The warmth he'd been feeling fled him and Harry had to swallow the lump that started to form in his throat. "I don't know. I haven't thought about it."

"Well, you should." Draco instructed with all the confidence of a man that knew exactly what he was talking about. "You're his father and he's turning _eleven_. A big milestone for children. He'll be at Hogwarts in September."

Harry's face fell a little bit more, a sudden inadequate and ignorant feeling coming over him. Did all Malfoy men have a special talent for making him feel completely stupid?

"Is turning eleven really that important?" He asked then immediately cringed at the look Draco shot him.

"Of course it is!" He gasped, sounding scandalized. "It's the beginning of their journey into adulthood. The birthday they start getting their wizarding school letters. Of course it's important. When I turned eleven, Father gave me my horse, Lightning, and Mother gave me my eagle owl."

Harry shrugged feeling uncomfortable. "I didn't realize it was really that big of a deal. I thought it was more of an event when we became of age and graduated."

Draco frowned. "Well those are definitely important, too. But your eleventh is the beginning of the important wizarding milestones."

"Oh." He hunched in his chair and frowned down at his hands.

Draco watched him with dawning realization. "Your relatives didn't do anything for you. You didn't get anything special for your eleventh." He stated more than asked. He knew the answer already and it made him feel marginally guilty for his earlier reaction to Harry's obliviousness.

Harry glanced at him with a self deprecating smile. "Nope. They didn't even remember. We were still on the run trying to escape the Hogwarts letters they kept sending me. Hagrid actually gave me my first ever present that year. A rather squashed birthday cake." Harry chuckled a little at the memory. "He'd sat on it on the way to the place we were staying, but it was still nice."

They were silent for a bit before Draco leaned over and laid his head comfortingly on Harry's shoulder. "That was nice of him."

"Yeah. Hagrid has always been really good to me." He smiled down at him from the corner of his eye and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "So, eleven is important, then."

Draco blew out a breath and nodded against his shoulder. "Yep. I don't know about the Weasleys, but my parents threw me this horribly ostentatious birthday party and invited everyone who was anyone. Blaise, Pansy, Vince, Greg, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass; they and their parents all came as well. It was a really fabulous event."

"Sounds miserable to me." Harry muttered, complete horrified at the mere thought of it.

Chuckling, Draco shrugged. "When I was eleven I loved it. Got to show off my new gifts and mingle with society's elite."

"God, even as a child you were a pretentious little snob." Harry snorted.

"Yes, well." Draco sniffed, sounding insulted. "_Now_ I don't think I could stomach that many people kissing my ass at once. Brownnosers are so déclassé." He waved a hand through the air dismissively.

Harry broke out laughing. "Shut up! You used to kiss Snape's ass all the time."

"I was a _child_, Harry." Draco sneered. "You can't hold me accountable for what my ignorant childish self may have thought necessary. Besides, Professor Snape was a good friend of the family. I'd known him since before I started Hogwarts." He nodded satisfied with his justification. "But those Ministry toadies were adults kissing an eleven year-old's ass. They had no excuse."

Harry's stomached ached from laughing by the time he'd gotten control of himself. "Alright," he gasped, his free hand pressed to his stomach. "I believe you."

Draco shot him a warning look before relaxing back against his shoulder. "So, you have no idea what to get Teddy?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. I don't think he would like a horse, and I don't really know what other gifts would be appropriate for a special birthday."

"Usually a child's parents will have a gift from both of them, something they can take to school with them. Something they would have for years to come." He explained.

"Like your eagle owl." Harry murmured.

"Yes, like that." Draco flashed him a small smile before nuzzling his face back into Harry's shirt.

Harry thought about that for a while. He liked the idea of getting Teddy an owl. Hagrid had bought him Hedwig and she'd been one of his best friends. But he couldn't just get Teddy any old owl. He'd have to pick out the absolute perfect one.

He scoffed at himself. His kids already had snakes, before too long he'd be running his own zoo if he let it get out of hand.

"You're anxious about Teddy leaving for school, aren't you?" Draco's voice abruptly pulled him from his thoughts.

A great gust of air was knocked from his lungs and he breathed, "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Why?" Draco asked in concern. "Going to Hogwarts is wonderful. You remember how amazing it was. Why are you worried about him?"

"I'm not necessarily worried about Teddy actually going to Hogwarts. I'm more… anxious about him growing up." Harry shifted so that he could look into Draco's warm gray eyes. "I don't think I'm really ready for my kids to grow up and leave. I keep remembering Teddy when he was a baby and his hair was puke green the entire time he was teething, or how James would just run headlong into a wall while he was learning to walk because he hadn't gotten the hang of stopping yet." He chuckled.

"How Lily would always take whatever jewelry Ginny was wearing at the time and try to stuff it into her mouth and Albus was forever stealing my glasses to try and wear them. I remember it like it was yesterday." A sad look flashed over his face. "They're all growing up though. Growing up too fast."

Draco lifted his head from Harry's shoulder and looked at him understandingly. "I feel the same way, Harry. I think every parent does. But going to school, to Hogwarts is a happy thing. They'll still be your children, Harry. Teddy will still be your son." He smiled and shrugged then. "Just maybe a little more grown up than you would like."

Sighing, Harry nodded and leaned down, pulling Draco into a slow burning kiss. "Thanks." He murmured when he pulled away. "I know, but I just have to get used to it for a while before I'll be anywhere near ready to let him go."

Smiling, Draco nodded and pulled Harry back into a deeper kiss. "You better get started on that, Potter, because the chicks always leave the nest before you're ready for them to."

Rolling his eyes, Harry didn't even bother to respond.

* * *

Narcissa had decided to have afternoon tea in the garden today. It was a lovely day, all bright sunshine, great golden fluffy clouds, and a nice April breeze. The only thing that would make it more perfect was if Lucius would abandon his study and sit with her.

Huffing in mild frustration, she called for a house-elf and ordered her tea and cakes. She would enjoy herself no matter what. She was resolved. Of course it never hurt to have a little help.

She felt somewhat naughty, but the last time she'd been in Diagon Alley, she'd stopped off in Flourish and Blotts looking for a new novel to read in her spare time. Little did she know that she would stumble upon the latest romance by Nanna LaNou(1).

Narcissa had heard some of the women in her garden society raving about her books, so she'd paid the one galleon and two sickles(2) for the glossy new paperback and headed home.

Now, a third of the way through, Genevieve, the heroine, has met Vance, the handsome hero, and they've had mad, hot, wild, steamy, passionate-… three times. And Narcissa couldn't put the silly book down. The mindless little thing was addictive.

Her tea and cakes had arrived and she was on page eighty-seven. Vance was pulling Genevieve away from the cliff's edge before it crumbled and she plunged to her watery death.

"Oh, Vance!" She cried as the rock tumbled away. "You saved me!"

"Genevieve." He gasped huskily, his strong, bare arms wrapping around her. "I couldn't live if you had died." And then he kissed her, hands slipping under her clinging wet dress to press into her silky, damp, warm-

_"Mistress."_

"Vance, oh Vance!" She cried out as he suckled her milky, supple, heaving-

_"Mistress?" _

"Yes! Yes! Don't stop!" Genevieve gasped, gripping his arms tightly as he thrust his big, thick, hot, throbbing-

"Mistress Narcissa!"

"Oh!" Narcissa jumped in surprised, pressing a hand to her chest as she looked down at the nervous house-elf standing next to the table. She'd been so _engrossed_ in the gripping, intricate plot of her novel that she hadn't even heard the tiny creature calling.

Feeling a tad warm and flushed even in the shade with the cool breeze, Narcissa fanned herself with her hand. "What is it, Dinky?" She asked as she carefully saved her place and closed the book.

"Mistress is having a visitor." The house-elf answered, eying Narcissa's book suspiciously.

"Who is it, Dinky? I'm not expecting anyone this afternoon." She was still trying to get a handle on her breathing. That Nanna LaNou could really write a titillating story!

"It is being Missus Andromeda Tonks, Ma'am."

Narcissa stopped all movement and stared at the elf as if she'd grown a pair of socks from the top of her head. "Andromeda." She repeated, not really sure if she'd heard right. "Andromeda Tonks is here to see me."

The house-elf nodded somewhat unsurely now. "That is what she said, Mistress."

Sucking in a surprised breath, the Lady of the House pressed a steadying hand to her breast again and tried to shoo away the nervous flutters that had appeared in her stomach. Standing up she quickly patted at her hair and smoothed her dress.

"Dinky, would you show Andromeda into the solarium. Tell her I will be there in just a moment."

"Yes, Mistress." The house-elf nodded and disappeared with a soft pop.

Narcissa took another deep breath closing her eyes to steady herself. Ooh, she really wished Lucius had agreed to have tea with her this afternoon. She could have used his comforting presence right about then.

Waiting a beat, Narcissa soon took off at a sedate pace toward the solarium. It was the nicest this time of year and it would be formal enough while still being comfortable. God, why was she so nervous?

Because she hadn't seen her older sister since she'd left Hogwarts.

Shaking her head, she primped herself one last time before stepping through the doorway and, for the first time in years, laid eyes her sister face to face.

Narcissa came to a complete stop and did something every ounce of her aristocratic breeding would have normally screamed in hysterics at; she stared.

Andromeda Black Tonks had aged, that much was obvious. Unlike some women, she had aged gracefully, but certainly different from how Narcissa had aged. She had laugh lines around her cupid's bow mouth and smile wrinkles at her eyes. Her thick wavy dark hair was streaked with gray and she'd grown softer and rounder around the hips and bust lending her a softness that Narcissa didn't have with her near perpetually perfect figure.

She dressed more casually than Narcissa remembered, not so luxurious of fabrics or intricate of detailing. So much was different, but still so much was the same as well.

Andromeda had a firm, sure presence. It was larger than herself and told you that she wouldn't be swayed or ignored easily. Her eyes told of pain, loss, and hardship. Narcissa looked at her for a long moment, but there was no denying it.

Despite the years of separation and hate, she would have known her sister anywhere.

Coming out of her daze, Narcissa continued into the room and pasted a pleasantly attentive smiled on her face. Her hostess skills were so ingrained that they would bend for no one.

"Hello, Andromeda. Won't you sit down?" She gestured to one of the lounges facing the floor to ceiling windows. "Would you like some tea? Something cool to drink perhaps?"

Andromeda seemed taken aback for a second before her aristocratic upbringing came back to her. "Yes, thank you, Narcissa. That would be lovely." She flashed a halfhearted, unsure smile at her and gently seated herself, leaning back facing the windows.

A house-elf was called and lemonade was ordered, Narcissa and Andromeda were seated next to each other, and then there was nothing more to divert them from the years of silence between them.

There was an awkward quiet before Narcissa finally turned to look at her sister once again. "I have gotten to know your grandson, Teddy." She said with a genuine, if small, smile. "He is a lovely boy; so very sweet and –hm- quite precocious as well."

Andromeda chuckled lightly at that. "Yes, he is that. He gets it from his mother."

They lapsed into silence again until the drinks appeared on the table between them.

Taking a tall, sweating glass, Andromeda sipped at it lightly before setting it back down again. She didn't know quite what to do with her hands. "Harry told me that his children and your grandson have become friends."

Narcissa sensed something off about her tone, but answered her anyway. "Yes. Scorpius loves them. He was so excited when he met Albus Severus and was absolutely intolerable after he'd gotten to know James Sirius and Lily Luna." She said, amusement coloring her words. "Of course, we have grown quite fond of them as well. Lucius, especially, lets all five of them practically get away with murder."

She teetered off suddenly feeling the temperature drop and the air thicken. It was easy to forget that they had been on opposite sides of a war. It was easy to forget that Andromeda had lost so much and Narcissa relatively little. It was so, so easy to forget that she had ceased to have one sister for over twenty years.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, glancing down at her hands, pale and elegant, a four carat diamond ring perched on her left ring finger. "I'm sorry your-… for your husband and your daughter. You shouldn't have lost them."

Andromeda took a deep breath and nodded in acknowledgment of her condolences. "Thank you." She said just as quietly. "I loved them very dearly."

Narcissa felt her throat begin to close and her eyes begin to burn. She couldn't ever imagine losing Lucius or Draco. She didn't think she would be able to survive it.

"My son-in-law was a good man as well." Andromeda suddenly said, that odd tone in her voice again. Narcissa raised her head and looked at her sister a little puzzled.

"Yes," She agreed slowly. "I didn't know him well apart from school, but Draco told me he was one of the only competent Defense professors he'd had. Harry still thinks very highly of him as well."

An unreadable look flashed through Andromeda's eyes, but before Narcissa could decipher it, it was gone.

They lapsed into silence again for it only to be broken when Andromeda took a deep fortifying breath and spoke. "Narcissa, when Harry told me about his relationship with you all, about Teddy's visits to your home, I must confess that I did not react as I should have."

Narcissa looked at her, a moment of incomprehension on her face before her eyes hardened and her back stiffened in understanding. "Is that so?"

She has _that_ tone of voice, Andromeda thought to herself with misplaced amusement. Narcissa had always been a prissy little thing when she was displeased.

"Yes," she nodded, continuing on. "I- was horrid." She finally admitted looking back down at her hands. "I shouldn't have let my old angers and insecurities have control, but I did. I said some awful things that neither you nor your family deserved. I'm sorry for that."

Narcissa just stared at her, face unreadable, before she finally asked, "Why did you come? Why now?"

Andromeda sighed and tucked a dark flyaway of hair behind her ear. "While I was saying uncomplimentary things about you, Harry was refuting and scolding me at every turn. He forced me to finally admit that the past is– the past and that I needed to let my insecurities die."

"Harry defended us?" Narcissa asked, sounding surprised, hopeful and happy all at once.

"Yes." Andromeda smiled slightly at her. "Quite vehemently. He –mm- invited me to leave if I was going to continue to 'besmirch' your family."

That got a light chuckle from the younger woman. "Besmirch." She repeated with a pleased and amused lilt to her voice. "That does sound like Harry, doesn't it?"

Andromeda nodded, reluctantly diverted, before looking Narcissa in the eyes again. "I'm sorry I was unfair to you and your family, Narcissa. I'm sorry that I didn't try and put away old hurts long ago."

Narcissa reached over and placed her hand over one of Andromeda's giving it a reassuring squeeze. "That's alright, Andromeda. I'm sorry, too. It took a great deal more than it should have to teach me that family is always the most important thing. When I finally realized that what we did to you was-… I had already lost poor Bellatrix and I had completely burned my bridges with you." She paused to swallow back the lump in her throat. "I was without either of my beloved sisters and my loneliness was of my own doing."

Feeling the fist around her heart tighten, Andromeda flipped her hand over and wrapped her fingers around Narcissa's, palm to palm. "You have me now, Cissy." She said with a sad smile. "And hopefully I have you as well?"

A bright smile curled at Narcissa's red lips and she nodded, a happy tear slipping past her control. "Most certainly, Dromeda. Most certainly."

* * *

"Narcissa!" Lucius shouted through the house as he stuck his head under the fainting couch in their formal sitting room. He couldn't find his sapphire cufflinks anywhere and he needed to wear them for his meeting with the Minister in the morning.

"Now where in the devil did that woman put them?" He muttered under his breath as he started pulling open drawers in the end tables and rummaging through them. "Damnit! _Narcissa!_"

"Mistress is being in the Solarium, Master Lucius." An elf informed him from seemingly out of nowhere causing him to jump in surprise and bang his head on the bottom of a settee where he'd crawled in his hunt for the missing jewels.

"Christ!" He cursed and gingerly backed out from under it and glared at the visibly unrepentant house-elf. They'd been popping up on him unexpectedly ever since that one damn house-elf Potter freed had become known as a war hero. Damn creatures were trying to kill him, he just knew it.

Grumbling, Lucius made his way toward the solarium rubbing tenderly at the lump quickly rising on the back of his head.

"Narcissa, woman!" He shouted again as he came to the door. "Where in God's name did you put my sapphire cufflinks? The ones with the pearls. I can't find them-… anywhere." He trailed off as he stepped into the room and saw who his wife was entertaining.

His heart stopped for a moment, memories of his wife's insane eldest sister flashing before his eyes before he was able to remember that he'd seen Molly Weasley kill her in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Nevertheless, seeing the woman in his home was jarring.

"Oh, Lucius, dear." Narcissa smiled brightly at him as he continued to stare at Andromeda, seemingly frozen in place. "You remember my sister, Andromeda."

Jolted out of his shock, Lucius composed himself and nodded his head regally. "I do not believe we have ever met." He said as he strode toward the two lounging women and shook her hand politely. "Young Theodore speaks of you often."

She seemed genuinely surprised by his manner and his words. "I-is that so? Narcissa was just telling me about the children's ploys to match-make Harry and Draco."

A sour look came over his face. "Ah, yes. It seems that they have been quite successful at it. Making full use of our house-elves and those snakes as I understand it."

An intrigued smirk twisted at the woman's full lips. "How did they manage that?" She asked sounding much too amused for Lucius's liking.

He straightened his shirt cuff in agitation and flipped his long, silver hair back over his shoulder. "The children came up with the plan to bribe one of our house-elves to disable the floo stranding the Potter family at the Manor over night. As I'm to understand it, they believed that if they forced their fathers to spend the night together they would fall in love."

Both women shared a highly entertained look as Lucius wrinkled his nose in disgust at the very thought.

"It seems that the children are much more capable of manipulation than we give them credit for." Andromeda smirked.

"I fully believe it." Lucius nodded. "As it is, our Scorpius and the Potter brood have been sickeningly successful with Draco and Potter. I can't decide whether to be wary or proud."

Narcissa laughed light and bright, happiness bursting in her chest. Lucius and Andromeda were being civil and her family was once again together. Life was perfect. "I think at least little Lily will be quite the handful as she gets older."

"No doubt." He drawled dryly. "That girl is going to put grays in Potter's hair as sure as the sun rises."

They chuckled at that, the atmosphere calm and pleasant.

Shaking her head as she remembered, Narcissa reached out and grasped Lucius's hand to get his attention. "What was it you wanted, dear? You were growling about something when you came in here."

"My sapphire cufflinks with the inlaid mother of pearl." He huffed with renewed frustration. "Minister Shacklebolt has requested a meeting tomorrow morning and I can't find my best set."

A concerned frown creased at Narcissa's delicate brow. Andromeda stiffened as tension between the couple rose. "Why would the Minister ask for a meeting, Lucius? We've done everything they've asked of us."

He squeezed her hand comfortingly and shook his head. "I don't know, my love. Perhaps he wants to warn me away from fleecing Potter blind or some such nonsense." He lips thinned in irritation at the very notion. He may be Dark, and corrupt, and generally hated and mistrusted, but he was a damn good businessman.

It would be like slitting his own throat to steal from the Savior of the Wizarding World.

Complete financial and political suicide.

Andromeda frowned in confusion. "Why would Minister Shacklebolt think you would be stealing from Harry?" She asked.

Lucius turned back to her and hesitated for a moment before answering. "Potter has requested that I become his financial adviser and help him make some investments to increase his estate."

She sat back in surprise. That made sense, she conceded reluctantly. She was still leery of trusting Lucius Malfoy completely, like he was still leery of her, but the man was certainly rich enough. He must be doing something right.

"I hope the meeting is about nothing serious." She said diplomatically.

He nodded, both in gratitude and acknowledgment that she was going to withhold judgment on his business dealings with Potter until she had the full story. Very Slytherin of her. It showed that she was still very much a Black.

"Regardless, we have done nothing wrong and if they are still not satisfied then we will cope." He said.

Narcissa nodded her head, but it was clear that some of her happiness had flown away. "It'll be alright, dear. We'll get through it." She lifted the hand she still clasped and kissed it bringing a tender smile to her husband's face. "Your cufflinks are in the third drawer of your jewelry box, my love, the one with the inlays."

He hissed in annoyance and huffed, sounding much like a displeased child. "I must have looked there three times! Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, dear." She smirked at him and released his hand after patting it lightly. "If you can't find them, come back down and I'll help you look."

Glaring in frustration, he stomped out of the solarium like he'd stomped in, grumbling under his breath and cursing to high heaven.

The two sisters watched him go before turning commiserating eyes on one another.

"My Ted could never find his tie-tacks. Of course, it never occurred to him to just _accio_ them." Andromeda remembered fondly.

"No, of course not." Narcissa agreed, rolling her eyes much like her husband did. "They always have to ask us, their wives, first. You know, I'm quite sure Lucius would never be able to get dressed in the morning if I didn't find all his little missing items for him."

They giggled together until a disembodied, _Sonorus_ enhanced voice echoed from the opposite side for the Manor. _"Never mind! I found them!"_

Narcissa and Andromeda met each other's gazes and burst out laughing, completely hysterical. Husbands really were lost without their wives to keep them headed in the right direction.

* * *

Later that night after Andromeda had gone, Narcissa was brushing out her hair at her vanity while Lucius was pulling off his socks and unbuttoning his cuffs getting ready for bed. She hummed a little tune to herself and leaned toward the mirror to examine herself for any new wrinkles.

"I was somewhat surprised to see Andromeda having tea with you." Lucius commented deceptively lightly as he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off his shoulders.

Narcissa flicked her eyes over and watched him in the reflection of her mirror. Even after all these years her husband could still turn her head. She smiled and leaned back in her chair not making any secret of her watching eyes as he began to work his trousers off. It astonished her how he could possibly still be that physically attractive at his age.

"I was surprised as well. I had never dreamed that she would want to have anything to do with me." She said, eyes raptly watching as his back muscles moved, rippling fluidly.

"What do you think could have persuaded her?" Lucius asked glancing absently at her over his shoulder only to pause as he caught her eyes on him in the mirror. A smirk curled at his lips and he slowed his movements, much to his wife's satisfaction.

"Mm." She smirked. "She mentioned that Harry got quite angry at her when she questioned the wisdom of letting his children associate with us. Apparently, he was quite forceful in his support of our family, my love."

Lucius held her eyes in the mirror as he turned toward her and let his trousers and pants fall to pool at his feet. His interest and amusement were very clear in all aspects of his body. "Potter defended us to your sister? That's not exactly expected."

Her eyes flicked down his reflection and held at his burgeoning arousal before she looked back up to his confident, unrepentant face. Turning around sharply she rose from her chair with an innate grace and walked slowly toward her naked husband.

Smiling lightly, she stroked her hands up his chest and curled them around his neck burying her fingers in his long hair. "It's not all that unexpected." She almost whispered as she leaned closer to him feeling his arousal press into her through her silk nightgown. "He is in love with our son after all."

A deep rumbling vibrated through Lucius's chest as he slid his hands around her waist and gripped her gown tightly pulling it up and exposing her pale, shapely legs. "Enough of this." He growled lowly before tugging her firmly against him and taking her full, flushed lips in a heated, hard kiss.

Some time later, Narcissa and Lucius collapsed against each other, sweat slicking their skin and breath panting from their flushed lips hotly.

Lucius chuckled lowly to himself and rolled onto his back before pulling his wife to him and stroking her delicately curved back soothingly. "Cissa, my sweet, one of these days I'm not going to be able to keep up with you anymore."

She scoffed and wrapped her arm around his toned stomach. "Lucius, you act like you're so much older than me. You're only a year older."

"Ah, yes, but you're so much feistier than I am." He lifted his hand and began absently combing through her tousled blond waves.

Narcissa grinned at him and stretched to kiss his equally grinning mouth. "Hush you. You seem to handle my enthusiasm just fine." She stroked her hand down his belly to grip his cock and give it an appreciative squeeze.

He groaned and wrapped both arms around her, burying his face in her neck giving it a light nip. "I'm not a young man anymore, Narcissa. I don't think I'll be up for anymore tonight unless I want to miss the Minister in the morning."

Narcissa chuckled and acknowledged that she wasn't seriously suggesting anymore play for the night. She wasn't a young woman anymore either.

They settled back together in each others arms and just laid quietly for a time staring into their dimly lit room, different things on their minds.

Narcissa pressed more firmly against Lucius's side and kissed his shoulder absently. "Are you worried, Lucius? About tomorrow?" She asked quietly.

He was silent for a moment before murmuring, "I don't know, Cissa. I don't even know what the meeting is about or if it's even truly with the Minister."

Her heart lurched and she moved to lay nearly on top of him. "God, Lucius. What are we going to do? What will happen if they've... if they-"

"Hush." He admonished softly, kissing her forehead and stroking a hand over her hair soothingly. "We'll figure something out. If worse comes to worse we can take Draco and Scorpius and move to our chateau in France. The Ministry doesn't have any extradition treaties on the continent."

Narcissa didn't even bother mentioning that they would all end up killing themselves within a year if they had to live that close to Cassiopeia, Lucius's mother, but she did voice her concerns about Draco. "But, Lucius, Draco and Scorpius have lives here. Draco's shop is flourishing and Scorpius has all his friends here. Harry and the children are here."

It was a valid objection, Lucius had to admit. If they were to up and move to a totally new country, community they would all be leaving behind their home and their lives. He knew Draco and Potter were quite attached and the children's hearts would be broken if they all had to be separated.

"Perhaps Potter would be willing to... speak on our behalf once more." He suggested haltingly, reluctant to even hope to consider the idea.

Feeling worry and fear settle in her chest, Narcissa nuzzled closer to her husband, and sighed. "Let's not worry until we have to, love. We both need our rest." She leaned up and gave him a tender kiss. "Goodnight."

He returned it and caressed her soft cheeks adoringly. "Goodnight, my love." They curled up together, the room now dark and quiet. It took them both a long while before they actually slept.

* * *

(1) A vague reference to a scene in the movie _Victor Victoria_ (1982) starring Julie Andrews, where Robert Preston's character, Toddy, mentions that the only woman he ever slept with was named Nanna LaNou... and she had an adam's apple "like a coconut".

(2) approx. $8.82, or £5.85


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 4,493  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Sixteen*****

"Damnit, Narcissa! Where the hell are my good boots?" Lucius cursed the next morning as he rushed around their suite trying to get dressed.

"In your closet, dear." Narcissa said calmly from her vanity as she painted her lips and pinned her curls in an elegant swirl at the back of her head.

Lucius shot her an annoyed look before turning and grumbling all the way into the closet and back out again with his good dress boots in hand. They continued to dress, Lucius quite hurriedly and Narcissa calm and poised as always.

Slipping his second sapphire cufflink into the cuffs of his dress shirt, Lucius shrugged on his midnight blue business robes and smoothed out the wrinkles with his hands. He picked up his cane on his way to the bedroom door and dropped a light kiss on the top of his wife's perfectly arranged head.

Chuckling as she huffed at him and waved him away so that she could fix the curl he'd dislodged, Lucius said, "I'll be back for lunch. I'll tell you about the meeting then."

Sobering from their little teasing, Narcissa reached out and tugged him back toward her with a delicate hand clasping around his. "Be careful, my love." She pulled him down until he gave her a soft, tender kiss on her freshly painted lips. She murmured, "I'll be waiting," and released him.

With one last shared, concerned smile, Lucius was out the door and headed toward the floo.

Flooing to the Ministry was an experience. He'd tried his hardest to avoid the place and it seemed he wouldn't be able to go unnoticed. From the moment he stepped out of the black bricked fireplace in the Atrium, he was being gawked at, and whispered about, and fearfully circumvented.

Of course there was absolutely no outward appearance that this bothered him. He simply nodded politely to the ones brave enough to meet his eyes and ignored the ones impolite enough to openly stare. The lift ride down the Minister's office was much less easy to remain composed in, however.

There was a frightened secretary that had pressed herself into the farthest corner away from him and proceeded to flinch every time even one of his fingers twitched. Lucius couldn't decide whether to be amused or insulted. Of course the tubby balding bureaucrat on the other side of the car was openly staring at him like he was some exotic fish in an aquarium.

The lift dinged and that female voice intoned, "Department of Feminist Issues and Lobbying," in a much chirpier tone than he remembered from the last time he'd been in the Ministry.

The secretary in the corner was still watching him like a rabbit watched a fox and the lift doors continued to be held open so that someone could get off.

Keeping himself as composed a possible, Lucius looked straight at her. "This was your floor, was it not, madam?" He inquired pointedly drawing everyone's eyes as they watched him warily, fascinated.

The small, scared woman gave a small shriek of fright and bolted for the doors just before they closed, narrowly missing getting her skirt snagged in the gate.

A small disdainful scoff escaped him before he could stop it, but Lucius was a master at manipulation and continued to act like him being in the Ministry after being tried for war-crimes as a Death Eater was perfectly normal.

"You're Lucius Malfoy." One of his lift companions said quite obnoxiously.

Turning, he saw that the portly balding man had stepped up next to him. He eyed him up and down, just barely keeping his upper lip from curling in a sneer.

"Yes, I believe that I am." He replied with subtle sarcasm that went completely over the other man's head. The men in the lift with them all shifted restlessly and watched the scene unfolding with mixed looks of horror and blank astonishment. "And you are?" He asked condescendingly.

The man didn't notice. "I'm Herbert Peters the IV." He grinned self importantly and held out a hand for a shake.

Lucius eyed it with restrained disgust, and shook it once before letting go quickly. "Charmed." He drawled not sounded it at all.

Peters just went on grinning. "Getting back into politics, then, are you?" He asked boldly, earning himself a panicked look from the man directly behind him. "That can't be easy to get back into after the war and all that business with You-Know-Who, can it? Must be hard in society for you former Death Eaters now." He commented sympathetically.

Lucius just stared at him scarcely believing that the man was really that tactless. Of course it also sparked his memory of who the man actually was. Peters was a Ministry liaison for foreign dignitaries. He was also inordinately stupid.

"Your son has a shop in Diagon, doesn't he, though?" Peters continued on completely oblivious to the warnings his coworkers tried to give him and the increasingly infuriated thinning of Lucius's lips. "Can't imagine he gets a lot of business what with his record and all. It's tough to build up credibility when you're on the losing side, eh?" He chortled as if expecting Lucius to agree with him and be thankful for his attentions.

Quite the opposite. Lucius squeezed his cane so hard the wood creaked making the other men in the lift edge away from him cautiously.

He struggled to calm himself and looked down on the little pot-bellied, bald man with all the scorn and arrogance he could muster. "Quite the contrary, Draco's shop is doing very well. It's very popular with young people buying gifts for their lovers." He suddenly smirked maliciously and the other men in the lift all sucked in a breath. "In fact, if I remember correctly, he was telling me that just the other day the French Ambassador was in buying a rather expensive necklace for your wife." He said nonchalantly as if trading bland pleasantries.

He was much too pleased with the stunned thick silence that had descended upon them. Smiling lightly, he tilted his head inquiringly. "Tell me, Peters, how is your wife these days? Still hasn't left you for her greener pastures, I see." The lift dinged announcing the Minister's offices. "Ah, finally. Do have a good morning, gentlemen." He called over his shoulder as he stepped off the lift and strolled down the hall leaving gob smacked Ministry employees behind him.

The secretary at the desk when he arrived did a double take when she looked up from filing her nails long enough to acknowledge him.

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy! Go right in, the Minister's waiting for you." She told him with a slightly apprehensive smile.

Lucius nodded and strode toward the door purposely. Stepping into the office, he looked around and noted that nearly the whole room had been redecorated. The only thing that was familiar was the ostentatious desk that Kingsley Shacklebolt was sitting behind.

"Lord Malfoy." Shacklebolt nodded politely as he stood up and reached across to shake his hand. "I'm glad you could come. Please, have a seat."

Wary and curious, Lucius accepted the offer and perched himself regally in one of the visitor's chairs. They were much more inviting than the ones from Fudge's regime that was for sure.

"I must admit, Minister, that I'm at a loss as to why you would request a meeting. Your letter did not say much." He began, feeling that he'd rather get to the point than trade pleasantries for the next fifteen minutes.

"Ah, yes." Kingsley nodded before leaning back in his chair and folding hands in front of him. "This matter was better spoken of in person. It's rather sensitive to the Ministry itself."

Lucius was at a complete loss, but remained impassive.

"It came to my attention sometime ago that you had been required to file a copy of every business transaction and contract you make with the Ministry." The Minister said.

Nodding, Lucius felt his panic fade to be replaced by confusion and anger. "That is correct. After my probation was over I was contacted by owl with a notarized requisition that under order of the Minister I was obligated to file copies of everything with the Ministry."

Kingsley only stared at him for a moment, an unreadable look on his face before he leaned forward, angry tension pinching at his temples. "I apologize, Mr. Malfoy. It would seem that there is someone in Ministry employ that has taken it upon themselves to make illegal demands of our free citizens. There has been a full inquiry issued and all of your documents will be returned to you as soon as we find out who has been receiving them."

Somewhat stunned, it took Lucius a moment to register what the Minister was saying. Then the cold fury came. "You were not aware of this to any extent? You did not sign that requisition and someone has been holding copies of my business dealings illegally for the past five years?" He asked with barely controlled power behind his voice. Surprisingly, he could feel his magic boiling inside of him. He hadn't felt this out of control in quite a while.

The Minister just nodded gravely. "We are conducting a full investigation. When we find out the culprit I will personally see that to it that you are informed and that your documents are returned."

He didn't really know what to say. He had not expected this at all. The fact that the Minister was taking his freedom seriously was astonishing, but then again the realization that this had happened so soon after becoming Potter's financial adviser didn't escape him.

Leaning forward, he looked at the silently watching Minister trying to find any duplicity or deception in his expression. He could find none.

"I appreciate your concern, Minister. I'm only glad that you have become aware of the situation and have taken steps to counteract it." He said diplomatically.

Snorting in amusement, Kingsley replied, "I wouldn't have ever found out about it if Harry hadn't come storming into my office demanding to know what was going on. It reflects badly on the Ministry and is a disservice to the Wizarding World when things like this happen. Once again, I apologize for this."

Lucius was just a little bit speechless. Potter had gone to the _Minister_, about this. He'd actually taken it upon himself to rectify this invasion of privacy.

Pulling himself together, Lucius inclined his head politely. "That's quite alright, Minister. Nothing was done that couldn't be remedied."

Kingsley quirked his lips dubiously. "We'll see about that once the investigation is complete. It would seem that even when Harry's not working for the Ministry he's still intent on serving justice."

An amused sniff was the only crack in Lucius's mask of polite indifference. "So, it would seem." He drawled. "Is there anything else we need to discuss, Minister?"

Shacklebolt stood from his seat and held out a hand. "Not that I know of, Mr. Malfoy. I will be in contact about the investigation's progress."

They shook hands and Lucius was out of the office and into the lifts before he fully realized what had happened. He'd just spent the last twenty minutes with the Minister of Magic and he wasn't on trial or under suspicion or his freedom revoked.

It was all because of Potter.

He didn't know what exactly to think about that at the moment. He'd long since let go of his resentment and animosity toward the younger man, especially since they now had a business relationship, but he hadn't actually believed that Potter would do anything like this for him. For Draco or Scorpius, most definitely. For Narcissa, yes, but for him?

The lift finally stopped at the Atrium and Lucius just shook his head as he stepped off not wanting to think on it any longer. It would only make him confused and edgy. At least he would have good news to tell Narcissa during their lunch.

* * *

"What are you going to do for Teddy's eleventh, Harry? It's a very important birthday, you know." Molly smiled kindly at him as they sat down at the picnic table to peel potatoes.

"So Draco's told me." Harry muttered sullenly, then brightened. "I think we're going to have his party at the Manor. It's big enough to have all of the family there and Draco said the house-elves would be happy to do all the cooking."

"Oh." Molly looked a little taken aback, but quickly recovered. "That sounds lovely, dear, but don't you think that -um- Lucius and Narcissa would mind?"

"I don't think so." Harry shrugged looking a little less assured. "Draco didn't seem to think it would be a problem and they seem to be really fond of Teddy." He bit his lip and dropped a bald potato into the water filled pot. "If it is a problem we can just have it at Grimmauld."

Seeing that her son had once again fallen into his brooding pose even as he expertly peeled potatoes for her, she decided to move on. "Have you decided what you're going to give Teddy for his gift yet?"

A mischievous glint chased away the worry. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it will work out so I'd rather keep it a bit of a secret for now." He winked at her making her shake her head in amusement.

"I remember when my Bill started his first year at Hogwarts." She smiled absently as she looked off into the field watching her grandchildren and one extra blond head running and playing. "He had his heart set on this one broom. Good lord, it was so long ago I can't even remember what it was called, but he was so excited when he opened it up, I could have cried."

Harry smiled at the thought and hoped fervently that he didn't end up making a fool of himself if he broke down in tears at the party. Teddy was very nearly like his first born, it was going to be hard at his birthday, but he wouldn't want to actually show it in front of everyone.

He glanced out to the field with Molly and grinned when he saw Scorpius watching Dominique in fascination as she instructed him and Louis on making a grass whistle with their hands. He was glad that Draco had agreed to let Scorpius join them for their weekly outing to the Burrow.

It was almost painfully apparent that Scorpius wasn't a really social child. Draco had told him that he'd had problems relating to many children his age. That even sometimes the parents of the other kids in his primary classes would tell their children to avoid him because he was a Malfoy and Draco's son. It made anger burn in Harry's gut, but he tamped it down because there was nothing he could do except indulge Scorpius in as much time with his children as he wanted and make him feel welcomed and wanted.

It wasn't hard to do. The kids loved him and their cousins were quickly learning to like him as well.

The day passed by quickly. Harry and Molly peeled potatoes until their hands were covered in dirt and they had a pile of peels that was nearly taller than Lily. Soon it was time for dinner and the children ate enough mashed potatoes to feed an army. Harry ate his fair share and chatted with Molly more about the plans for Teddy's eleventh trying to ignore the pang he was continuously plagued with when thinking about having to send the little boy off in September.

* * *

It was nearly a week until Teddy's birthday party and Draco was trying to keep his mother from throwing the poor boy a formal ball and inviting half the population of Great Brittan.

"Mother, how many times do I have to tell you? Harry said he just wants the family and a few friends. The Weasleys, Longbottom, Hagrid, McGonagall, Minister Shacklebolt and his wife, and a few others." He huffed and scrubbed at his face tiredly.

"My lord! The Minister is coming?" Narcissa looked positively inconsolable. "We can't have that! I haven't even taken out the Poison Poppies yet! Dipsy! Dipsy!" She shouted running around like a peahen with its head cut off.

Draco sighed and shifted uncomfortably. He had to pee, again. God, it was like his bladder had shrunk three sizes in the past week.

A snort of amusement made him turn around to see his father watching the chaos out in the gardens with amusement and derision. "Your mother is going to kill the poor house-elves at this rate. When is the boy's birthday? Surely it can't be this afternoon."

"Since when have you ever felt sorry for the house-elves? And no, it's actually next Saturday. Mother is just doing some preemptive preparation." He flinched when a shriek of pain echoed over the gardens. Looks like poor Phletcher got caught in the Rapier Roses again.

"Good grief!" Lucius sighed in exasperation and pointed his wand in the house-elf's general direction levitating the bleeding creature to the porch so that its companions could patch him up. "This is beyond ridiculous. What is that woman thinking? None of those plants will come out of the ground until they're damn good and ready."

Draco rolled his eyes and watched the little emergency triage the house-elves set up off to one side. "I have no clue, Father. She's your wife and she won't listen to me."

Taking a deep fortifying breath, Lucius decided to take one for the team and wade into the utter madness that was his wife's idea of party preparation.

Narcissa spotted him as he drew nearer and practically threw herself at him. "Lucius! Thank goodness! None of those awful plants will cooperate. I've lost four elves from work to debilitating injuries already this morning. We can't let all those children run around in the gardens with those vile things still out there. It's alright with Scorpius, and Teddy, and James, and Albus, and Lily, but we just can't watch all of the others at once! I won't have any of those little babies injured while in our home! I couldn't live with myself!" She burst into stressed tears and wrinkled his lounging coat with her clutching fingers.

He shot his son a malicious glare over his shoulder before patting his crying wife consoling on the back. "Now, now, Narcissa. There's no need for these drastic measures. If the plants won't be pulled then I'll ward them into harmlessness."

She raised her head and look at him with shining blue eyes. "Oh, I supposed that works as well."

Lucius nodded trying not to roll his eyes. She had done the same panicky over preparation for nearly all of Draco's birthday celebrations, so he was well prepared to do damage control. "I'll take care of it, my dear. Why don't you have a seat with Draco and order some tea? Just have a rest while I work on the gardens."

Narcissa kissed him gratefully on the corner of his mouth and pulled out from his arms to walk much more calmly toward Draco and the patio table he was seated at with a full tea survive already set out.

"Your father's going to ward the gardens." She informed him as she sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.

Draco covered his smirk of amusement with his cup and made an agreeing sound in his throat.

They both watched the flashes of ward magic at various points around the garden while the house-elves carried their wounded inside and Narcissa fixed her tea with her preferred amounts of cream and sugar.

"You were saying earlier that Harry had a guest list already finished." She mentioned while she picked up a cookie from the tray. Mm, she thought as she bit into it, the orange-cream dipped ones, Draco didn't usually like these.

"Yes." Draco nodded, swallowing a sip of tea. "All twenty of the Weasleys, Granger's parents, Hagrid, McGonagall, Aberforth Dumbledore, Lovegood and her father, Longbottom, Aunt Andromeda, the Minister and his wife, and Harry's cousin and his family." He squinted his eyes a little bit adding up the list. "A total of thirty-five guests, if I've done my math correctly. Not including us or Harry and the kids."

Narcissa frowned. "That's so few. Dear, are you sure I can't just ask-"

"No, Mother." Draco cut her off with a firm scowl. "Harry already said that was more than he'd been planning on inviting to begin with. Usually the kids' birthdays consist of them and the Weasleys."

She pouted a bit before resigning herself to a small garden party. "Oh, alright, Draco. I won't invite anyone else." She sipped at her tea and pursed her lips in distaste. "What kind of tea is this, Draco? I've never tasted anything so... flavored."

"Hm? Oh, it's called, Raspberry Zinger. Harry buys it at the muggle grocers a few blocks from Grimmauld. I had the elves pick some up for me. I've been practically addicted to the stuff lately." He sipped at his cup again with obvious relish.

Narcissa eyed the strange tea in her own cup for a moment before banishing the liquid and pouring herself another cup. Perhaps it would taste better without so much cream and sugar.

"A muggle tea, my dear? From a bag?" She lifted the lid from the tea pot to see that, sure enough, there was a soggy, tea stained teabag floating in the dark red liquid. "How very... plebeian of you."

Draco snorted, a smirk playing at his lips. "I don't care if it's 'common' as long as it keeps tasting like this." He took a larger sip of his tea and refilled his cup.

Narcissa tried the red tea without the sugar and cream and found that it wasn't quite as grotesque as it had been before. She could live with it for just this once, but she eyed her son with a speculative eye before she shook it off and continued on with their conversation.

"Harry's cousin, isn't he a muggle?" She asked, turning her gaze back out to the garden where, Lucius was directing one of the only house-elves not required for medic duty to add yet more wards around the Rapier Roses, Poison Poppies, and a few others.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "He's known about the Wizarding World since Harry left for Hogwarts and apparently both of his children will be attending Hogwarts when they turn eleven."

That made her raise a surprised eyebrow. "Their father is a muggle? With no magic at all? What of their mother?"

"From what I understand, she's a muggle as well and has no family history of a wizard on either side." Draco said munching on an orange flavored cookie. "It must come from the cousin's side. Harry's aunt was Lily Potter's sister after all. Perhaps magic is a recessive gene in the family."

"Hm." Narcissa hummed thoughtfully. "But how will they get here? The Manor is unplottable, and hidden from muggle eyes. They can't even floo in."

A mischievous look passed over her son's face, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Harry mentioned something about an illegal floo connection from their home to Grimmauld. They will be flooing into the Manor from there."

She made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat before shaking her head. "I can't imagine that Minister Shacklebolt will be too happy if he finds that out."

"Oh, I imagine he already knows and is just turning a blind eye." Draco grinned. "Besides, Harry said that his cousin wants to expose his family to the Wizarding World a bit before they go to Hogwarts. It should help with the transition."

Narcissa nodded approvingly. That had been part of the problem that the Death Eaters had been fighting against in the first place before everything went pear shaped.

Muggle-born children were coming into the Wizarding World knowing next to nothing about wizarding customs, history, tradition, or even how to function like a wizard. This way the transition from muggle to wizard would be a lot smoother for everyone involved.

"So we're to have muggles on Saturday." She continued. "Is there anything I should tell the house-elves about? Nothing muggles can't eat or are allergic to?" She asked with a charming level of naivete that made Draco smile.

"The wife is pregnant with their third child, but other than that I don't think there is anything we should watch out for." He replied. "You might want to have Father ward some of the more unorthodox magical items we have however. The muggles wouldn't know not to touch something that might be cursed or charmed."

A strange look had crossed Narcissa's face when Draco mentioned the wife. She looked at her son then at the tea service before shaking her head again.

"I'll tell your father after he's finished with the gardens." She murmured a little distractedly as she sipped at her muggle raspberry blinger -or something or other- tea.

The warding magical flashes in the garden continued into the afternoon as they went over the plans for Teddy's birthday party in far more detail than Draco thought was strictly necessary. As long as Harry and Teddy's family and friends were there, he highly doubted the boy gave a rat's ass whether the napkins had a paisley pattern or a flourish on them.

* * *

A few days before Teddy's eleventh birthday party at the Manor, Harry stepped into an eclectic, rather eccentric shop called Mowgli's Menagerie(1) in the lesser known Ampersand Alley.

The heavy scent of incense in his nose and the sound of a bell above the door marked his entrance. The turbaned Indian wizard at the counter looked up at him and smiled welcomingly.

"Ah, Harry." Mowgli greeted, his accent audible and intriguing. "She is ready for you. Are you taking her today after all?"

Harry smiled back and shook his head. "Not today. But you will be able to deliver her on time?" He asked a little nervously.

The older wizard nodded. "Of course. I will be at the Malfoy Manor with her on Saturday. Is the Lord Malfoy aware of my coming?"

"Yeah, Lucius knows to keep the floo open for you." Harry grinned. "Are you sure she'll be able to do everything?" He asked again shifting eagerly.

Mowgli nodded patiently. "She is trained just like the others. She'll know what to do."

"Great. Thank you so much." Harry smiled at him again and pulled his money pouch from his robe pocket. He counted out his galleons and payed the shop owner before saying his goodbyes and stepping out of the door, the heavy scent of incense still clinging to him.

God, he really hoped Teddy liked his gift.

* * *

(1) Mowgli is the name of the main character from _The Jungle Book_ (1895), written by Rudyard Kipling.

TBC...


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 8,648  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Seventeen*****

Draco popped another oyster cracker in his mouth to abate his sudden hunger and watched the organized chaos happening around him. His mother really knew how to put the house-elves through their paces. She had every elf that wasn't laid up with injuries scurrying around the gardens levitating tables, laying out cushions, pruning bushes, and doing any number of things he would never have thought needed doing for the party that afternoon.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were due in a few hours, early for the party, but wanting to offer any help they can. It would only be Molly and Arthur so he figured his mother could find them something to do. Ron and the rest of the Weasleys, children and all, would be coming after that just as the party was set to start.

Harry would be popping out to pick up his cousins from Grimmauld and floo them to the Manor and the Minister and the other guests would be filtering in after that. He smiled to himself even as Fritz tripped over his own feet and sent a wrought-iron table crashing to the stone paved patio.

The table bounced into the air from the cushioning charm on the stones and landed perfectly on its legs with nary a wiggle. Fritz stared at it for a moment in stunned silence then collapsed back onto the ground in pure exhaustion. Poor house-elves were being worked into the ground.

"Oh Fritz! What are you doing down there? Hurry and go round up the peacocks. They're making a terrible mess of my Azaleas!" Narcissa instructed him from the other side of the patio.

The elf whimpered and began slamming his head into the stone repeatedly before pulling himself up and heading toward the foul tempered fowl.

Draco shook his head in amusement and strode over to his mother, popping another cracker into his mouth. "Don't you think you're working them a little hard, Mother? The party doesn't start for another few hours."

Narcissa gave him a greeting kiss on his cheek before shaking her head. "No, dear. You never know when one of your guests will take it into their head to show up early. It's never too soon to start preparation. If I left this up to you and your father our guests would be levitating tables and cooking in the kitchen themselves." She wrinkled her nose at the very notion.

"Mum, you know that Molly and Arthur are coming early with Harry and the kids to help out, don't you?" He asked then promptly wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

Narcissa looked at him as if he'd just suggested roasting the peacocks on a spit in the garden for the main course.

"They're doing what?" She exclaimed, pressing her hands to her flushed cheeks. "Oh dear! That won't do. Claude! Claude! _Dépêchez-vous avec les chaises! Vous devez signaler à la cuisine pour faire cuire plus vite!_(1)" She shouted at a confused house-elf on the opposite end of the porch.

Draco watched her rush off, completely bemused in the wake of her panic. He didn't even think any of their house-elves spoke french.

"Has your mother exhausted herself, yet?" Lucius asked as he stepped up next to his son to watch Narcissa rattle off instructions to their English house-elves in french.

Draco nodded, a worried frown creasing at his brow. "I think the stress is getting to her." He munched on a cracker gaining a raised eyebrow from his father. "Maybe you should take her upstairs to get dressed. Let the house-elves finish their jobs. I can handle everything from here."

Seeing the wisdom in this, Lucius quickly intercepted his wife and began dragging her back into the house.

The rest of the two hours until the Potters and eldest Weasleys arrived went much smoother for all involved. Narcissa was safely ensconced in a hot calming bath with a very distracting Lucius, the house-elves were actually able to get the majority of the preparations done, and Draco got to sneak tastes of the hors d'oeuvres the kitchen elves had begun to set out on the tables.

Soon, Shotzy popped up next to him just as he was shoving a stuffed mushroom into his mouth. "Master Draco, Master Harry has arrived with Masters Scorpius, Teddy, James, Albus, Mistress Lily, and two redheads."

"Oh good." He smiled and swallowed the tasty morsel he'd nicked, before he smoothed a hand down his casual dress robes and started back into the house to meet them.

When he got close enough to the floo room to hear the children's excited chattering he sped up his pace. Opening the door he smiled brightly as the children screamed their greetings at him.

"Well, hello ducklings!" He laughed and hugged Lily as she slammed into his legs. "Are you all ready for a birthday party?"

"Yes!" They cheered. Teddy grinning, flushed, and happy came forward and let Draco pull him into an extra tight hug.

"You're eleven now! I can't believe it. Happy Birthday! You don't look a day less than sixty-five." He teased making the little boy blush and his hair go bright neon green.

After hugging, kissing, and ushering all the kids out toward the gardens, Draco straightened up to welcome to adults.

"Good afternoon, Molly, Arthur." He smiled letting Mrs. Weasley hug him and shaking Mr. Weasley's hand. "I'm sorry my parents weren't able to be here to greet you, but Mother went a little overboard earlier this afternoon and Father was forced to intervene for everyone's sanity." He chuckled. "They should be down in just a few minutes, though."

"That's quite alright, dear." Molly assured him with a smile. "It's always very stressful putting on such a large gathering like this."

Draco privately thought it was a very modest gathering, but didn't say as much. Harry's eyes twinkling with amused understanding were enough acknowledgment for him.

"Here, we'll have Fritz show you out to the garden." He called for the house-elf and traded a few quick words with him before ushering the Weasley couple out of the floo room and finally turning to grin at his lover.

Harry grinned back and pulled him into his arms taking his lips in a tender, heated kiss. "Good afternoon." He murmured licking Draco's bottom lip teasingly.

"Hey," he replied with a smirk as he curled his fingers into Harry's messy hair. "You can't imagine what chaos it's been around here today."

"Oh, I can from the sounds of it." Harry chuckled and stroked his hands up and down Draco's back. "Has Narcissa been running herself ragged getting ready for this?" He asked, a touch of concern wrinkling at his eyes.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Running the house-elves ragged, more like. She nearly put five of them in St. Mungo's earlier this week in a bid to de-Dark the gardens."

"I didn't even think about the gardens." Harry murmured worriedly. "How are we going to keep the little ones from hurting themselves?"

"Don't worry about it." Draco waved him off with a small smile. "Father went ahead and warded the Dark plants after Phletcher almost lost a leg with the roses."

Harry snorted in guilty amusement before schooling his expression and pulling back from Draco's embrace. "We'd better get out there and keep the kids from eating all the appetizers before the party even starts."

Nodding in agreement, Draco twined his fingers with Harry's and they walked together out to the garden.

When they got there it was absolute anarchy. The kids were screaming their heads off already, running at top speed and bouncing off the wards around the dangerous plants with shrieks of laughter and bright flushed faces.

"Good lord. Lucius, you've created another hazard in my gardens! Take those wards off before they hurt themselves!" Narcissa cried in despair as she watched Lily go flying only to land in an elephant ear patch and bounce back up with a wide grin on her pretty face.

Lucius just rolled his eyes, ignoring the confused and wary looks from Molly and Arthur. "Narcissa, either the children risk getting sliced to bits and poisoned or they risk scraping their knees on the gravel if they fall. You can't have neither, so pick one."

She huffed in frustration, but once she realized that the children weren't actually hurting themselves, she relented and nodded. "Fine, you're right, dear. I'm just a tad nervous." She composed herself and turned toward the Weasleys with a disarming smile on her elegant face.

"I apologize for my rudeness. Welcome to our home." She stepped forward and grasped Molly's hands in a polite greeting. "I trust that your floo trip was satisfactory."

Molly blinked for a moment before returning the smile. "Yes, it was fine. You do have a very lovely -um- home." She complimented, glancing intimidatedly around at the enormous Manor house and the vast exotic gardens, the white peacocks strutting across the grass arrogantly.

"Hm." Narcissa hummed glancing around as well. "I do suppose it is a bit opulent, but that was how my husband's ancestors designed it. And who are we to question their tastes." She chuckled.

"Well, it is quite lovely." Molly repeated, gaining more confidence in the conversation. It was very odd to be having such a civil conversation with Narcissa after years of feuding and disdain, but not particularly hard.

Lucius and Arthur eyed one another suspiciously before nodding stiffly in greeting. They would, perhaps take more time to warm up to each other. Their animosity was quite a bit more solidified than their wives'.

"You mentioned wards around in the gardens." Molly continued, interrupting the silent pissing contest the two men seemed to be having off to the side. "Why would that be necessary?"

"Oh, well," Narcissa began with an exasperated air. "My darling mother-in-law had some very, shall we say, malicious plants installed during her tenure as Lady of the Manor. They are very Dark and we have been unable to divine a way of removing them without severe injury." She told Molly, receiving a commiserating hum from the older woman.

"Now, normally," she continued, "this wouldn't be a problem seeing as the children have been instructed to keep away from them, but with all the other little ones running through the gardens this afternoon, it just wouldn't be possible to keep an eye on all of them at once."

Molly gave her an understanding smile and nodded her head sagely. "Well, that's quite alright. With the wards I doubt anyone will get more than a skinned knee. Your mother-in-law planted them, you say?"

"Yes." Lucius cut in with a slight sneer to his handsome face. "My mother is a bit of an- eccentric woman. She likes things with a little more attitude than your common flora and fauna."

"She's a bit of a sadist is more like." Narcissa muttered under her breath to Molly making the other woman chuckle companionably with her.

"Cissa!" Lucius hissed in shock.

"I know what you mean." Molly said, leaning closer to Narcissa and ignoring both of their husbands. "After we got married, Arthur's mother was a right bit-"

"Molly-Wobbles!" Arthur gasped in outrage, sharing an alarmed look with Lucius. "Why don't we grab a plate and eat a little something before the other guests arrive, dear?"

"A marvelous idea, Weasley." Lucius agreed, eager to keep both of their wives from going off on a tangent about their unpleasant mother-in-laws. "Come along, dear. Let's show Molly and Arthur where the escargot is."

Draco turned to face Harry with a hand pressed tight to his mouth and pure mirth dancing in his eyes. "Our parents are bonding, love." He giggled.

Harry turned to look at him wide eyed and shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah, over horrid mother-in-laws and catty wives."

A laugh burst out of him and Draco just nudged Harry's shoulder with his. "Hey, whatever works."

They traded a quick kiss before they went off on their separate ways. Harry to round up the kids and Draco to finish the last bit of preparations and make sure their parents didn't get in too much trouble.

Once everything was finished, the appetizers all set out, the garden lit with fairy lights and glowing miniature stars, the tables covered with casual tablecloths, and the house-elves stationed discreetly around the perimeter with waiting trays of food and drinks, the guests started to arrive.

Nearly all of the Weasleys were milling around their gardens now, the children chasing each other through the garden and bouncing off the wards. Lucius looked downright overwhelmed by the sheer amount of red hair around him and Narcissa was getting along famously with Molly and Fleur, surprisingly enough.

Another couple stepped through the door to the gardens and Draco turned to greet them.

"Ah, Ronald." He smiled and shook Ron's hand. "Thanks for coming." He glanced down and broadened his smile. "And Rosie and Hugo! Are you both excited about the party?"

Rosie stepped forward with her bushy red hair and a bright grin on her face. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy! Will you have a piñata?" She asked hopefully.

Draco shot her father a confused look.

"It's a muggle hollow paper figure they stuff with candy then beat with a stick until it breaks and the candy goes everywhere." Ron explained with a bashful hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

"That sounds... morbid." Draco murmured to him only to get a helpless shrug in response.

Turning back to the two hopeful looking kids Draco smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but no. We do have tons of candy and sweets, though, and a trip to the stables later to ride on the horses."

Hugo's eyes grew big around like saucers as he listened to Draco with ill restrained awe. "Wow. Can I ride one?" He asked, heart in his eyes.

"If it's alright with your parents, of course you can." Draco grinned at him then ushered both children away to go play in the gardens with the rest of them.

Straightening to address the parents once more, Draco smiled again in welcome. "Hors d'oeuvres and drinks are being served. Alcoholic drinks are available for the adults of course." He winked. "Just ask one of the house-elves for whatever you want and they'll get it for you."

"Brilliant." Ron grinned and rubbed his hands together happily only to be elbowed by his wife. "Ow! What Hermione?"

The bushy headed woman shot a glare at her husband then turned it up a notch and moved it to Draco. "You're serving alcohol with children around?" She hissed sounding completely incensed and scandalized at the sight of the house-elves in their uniforms carrying trays.

Draco straightened even further, going rigid and cool. "It is available, yes. You are welcome to it. The elves are under strict orders to keep it away from the children and to cut anyone off who seems to have imbibed a little too much. Neither Harry nor I will be drinking tonight seeing as we are the hosts and are therefore responsible for our guests." He said coldly, sneeringly.

He positively projected his younger self and his father. It made Ron distinctly uncomfortable and embarrassed for his wife's impertinence.

"You do not have to partake, Mrs. Weasley, if you do not want to." Draco continued, not intimidated in the least by her murderous look. "But you are in my home and you will not create a scene on Teddy's birthday. If you do not like how this party is being conducted you are free to leave, but if you so much as try to start something with me, my family, or my house-elves in front of the children I will personally escort you out." He leaned closer to her and hissed, "Do I make myself clear?"

She didn't say a word just stalked off to join into a conversation with Audrey who was helping her daughter, Lucy, try a bite of caviar.

Draco sighed and turned toward an angrily blushing Ron. He tilted his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Ron. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, no." Ron said visibly trying to calm himself. "It's alright. I don't know what has been going on with her lately. She's just been getting worse." He deflated a bit and sighed tiredly. "She even snapped at Hugo yesterday. I've never seen her seriously raise her voice to either of our children before."

A concerned frown wrinkled at Draco's brow. "Perhaps she should see a Healer." He suggested.

"I've tried getting her to go, but she just gets angry again and locks herself up in her office at home." Ron sighed again, exhaustion and helplessness pinching at his face.

Deciding a change of subject was probably in order, Draco patted Ron on the shoulder. "It'll be alright, Ronald. Why don't you ask Dipsey over there for a drink and grab yourself a handful of those chocolates from that bowl. You'll feel better."

Ron nodded thankfully and walked away to kindly ask the diminutive house-elf for the strongest drink they had.

Draco watched him with a sad frown on his face until he felt a hand on his lower back. He looked over and smiled at Harry.

"Is something wrong?" He asked

Shaking his head, Draco leaned back a bit, loving the pressure of Harry's touch. "Just had a little chat with Granger. She took exception to the alcohol available for our adult guests."

Harry sighed and leaned over to nuzzle his nose into Draco's soft hair before pulling back again. "I'm off to go get Dudley. Will you be in the floo room to meet them when they come through?" He asked.

"Sure." He smiled and pressed a light kiss to Harry's lips. "I'll be there."

Harry grinned at him, but there was a worried tint to his beautiful eyes when he caught sight of a scowling Hermione off by herself.

Draco watched him leave the gardens for the floo room and shook his head. This thing with Granger was getting out of hand.

A flash of familiar curly dark hair made him turn only to see his Aunt Andromeda enter the gardens. Smiling, he strode toward her.

"Aunt Andromeda." He greeted as they traded polite kisses on the cheek. "Thank you for coming."

Narcissa had her sister over at the Manor for tea and luncheon at least a dozen times since they'd reconnected. Draco and Andromeda had spent a few of those visits getting to know one another.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." She smiled at him before looking around. "It's lovely out here. Did Cissy run herself into the ground doing all of this?"

"Ran the house-elves into the ground." He corrected with a chuckle.

Andromeda rolled her eyes amusedly. "That sounds like her."

They traded a few more pleasantries before she wandered off to find her grandson and greet her sister. Draco continued on to the floo room and made it just in time to catch a very pregnant woman as she tumbled out of the fireplace.

"Oh dear!" She exclaimed as Draco helped her right herself. "Thank you. I'm not usually this clumsy even with this big belly, but those fireplaces really make me dizzy." She said with an amused smile on her pretty face.

Draco gave her an understanding smile in return and gingerly released her once she'd regained her feet. "You must be one of Harry's cousins." He inquired politely. "I'm Draco Malfoy, welcome to my home."

"Oh, yes!" She chirped happily and shook his hand excitedly. "I'm Marianne Dursley, Dudley's wife. It's very exciting to be here." She grinned and rubbed absently at her large belly. "We've only ever been to Grimmauld before, this is the first really magical house we've been to."

Draco watched her as she looked around the room with wide curious eyes taking in the antique furniture, the enchanted clock, and the dark woods.

"I'm sure Malfoy Manor is not all that different from Grimmauld Place." He said. "They are roughly the same age, give or take a century or two. Harry did do a lot of remodeling after he inherited the house, but they have about the same amount of magical essence."

Marianne turned her pretty, wide, awed eyes on him. "A couple of centuries?" She asked, her voice sounding shocked.

"Yes." Draco nodded not understanding her surprise. "Malfoy Manor was built by my ancestors when they come to Great Brittan from France in the 1300's. Grimmauld Place, I believe, was relocated to Grimmauld Square when the area was developed a few hundred years ago, but The Nobel and Most Ancient House of Black itself has been standing since sometime in the 1450's."

Marianne looked about ready to faint for a second, before she shook herself and peered closely at him. "How old are you?" She asked suspiciously as if her eyes were lying to her.

Draco threw his head back and laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm not that old." He chuckled, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. "I'm twenty seven. Wizards do live longer lives, just not that much longer." He smirked at her.

Marianne blushed, but returned his smirk with a bashful smile.

The floo flared up and out popped a disoriented little boy about James's age.

"You must be, Edward." Draco smiled kindly at him as he took out his wand and banished the soot clinging to the boy's cheek. "I'm Draco." He held out a hand for the boy to shake.

Eddy took the hand dazedly and looked Draco up and down taking in everything, from his robes to his dark wooded wand still held absently in his hand. "Wow. You're really a wizard."

Draco laughed ignoring the boy's mother making scolding sounds from next to him. "Yes, Eddy. I'm definitely a wizard. I went to Hogwarts with Harry."

"Really?" He asked

Nodding, Draco ushered the boy toward his mother as the floo flared again. A large, burly man tumbled through carrying a wide-eyed starfished little girl in his arms.

"Holy cra-um-cow!" The man amended when he saw the look on his wife's face. "That was a bit different from going to Harry's."

"It is a longer journey." Draco commented with amusement plain on his face. "I'm Draco Malfoy." He introduced holding out his hand.

"Dudley Dursley." Dudley returned, setting Chrissy on her feet before he took Draco's hand in a shake. "And this is Chrissy."

Draco smiled at the little girl and bent down to her level. "Hello. It's very nice to meet you, Chrissy. That's a pretty name." He told the shyly blushing little girl. She was about Lily's age, but obviously much less outgoing. "Is it short for something?"

The little girl's flush darkened considerable as she mumbled, "It's short for Chrysanthemum."

"Chrysanthemum!" He gasped in surprised delight. "That's a wonderful name! My mother was named after a flower as well. You will have to meet her."

Over their heads Draco could see Dudley and Marianne exchanging surprised, pleased looks. Straightening up once again he turned to grin at the other two adults. They grinned back.

Dudley looked around then asked, "What did you mean by 'longer journey'?"

"You've traveled from London to Wiltshire." Draco explained easily.

"Wiltshire?" Marianne gasped from behind him.

Draco turned and frowned in confusion. "Yes. Didn't Harry explain that the Manor was located in Wiltshire? I thought you knew where you would be coming to."

"It's not that." Dudley began scratching his head as if something was particularly hard to understand. "We just didn't realize that you could jump counties like that."

"Ah." Draco nodded and smiled at them reassuringly. "Well, don't worry. You'll be able to jump right back to London when the party's over."

Another burst of green flame and Harry soon joined them. Draco led the way out of the floo room and into the Manor proper as they made their way toward the gardens.

"This is an extremely large house." Marianne whispered in astonishment as she walked with Chrissy holding onto her hand. All the Dursleys were staring around themselves in awe.

Draco looked around as well then shrugged. "This is the North wing, where the ballroom, dinning rooms, sitting rooms, and kitchen are located. It's by far the largest of the four wings." He agreed.

Dudley turned his head to look at him in utter incomprehension. "Four wings?" He croaked.

"Yes." Draco nodded absently. "The East and South wings are the residential wings where my family and I live along with all of the guest suites. The West wing is where my father and I have our studies as well as the Malfoy Library and the greenhouses." He explained.

Eddy's eyes were so big they took up most of his face. "You have your own library?" He gasped.

"Mm." Draco smiled down at him where the boy was walking next to him. "All of the old pure-blood families and most of the older half-blood ones as well have they own libraries." It didn't occur to him that they wouldn't necessarily understand about blood purity, but they didn't ask so he didn't feel the need to explain.

"There's one at Grimmauld as well." He added. "Harry, you should have shown them the Black library."

Harry smirked, so enjoying his cousins' amazement that he couldn't feel bad about not realizing what a shock this would be for them. "I didn't think about it. I'm sure Marianne and Chrissy would like to see it next time you all visit, though. You'll have to remind me."

"Oh yes, Harry." Marianne breathed, a hand wrapped around her belly and one pressed to her chest. "That would be amazing."

They made the rest of the journey to the gardens companionably. Draco answered any questions they had and pointed out various magical items they might find interesting. The problems didn't start until they actually stepped out of the house.

"Oh my." Marianne gasped as a lit fairy flew past her. "Was that..."

"A fairy light, yes." Draco nodded stepped up to her. "They are very useful, but a bit ill tempered if you try to touch, so I would suggest not attempting it."

She looked at him with her mouth open in astonishment before nodding. "Alright." She turned her head again to look around and nearly jumped out of her skin when a little house-elf walked in front of her carrying a tray with smoked salmon and crackers on it. "What on earth is that!" She nearly screamed drawing a bit of attention to them. She'd seen the garden gnome at Grimmauld before, but these creatures looked completely foreign and nothing like a garden pest.

Dudley scooted up close to her protectively and eyed the little creature warily. "That's one of those house-elves, right?"

Draco watched the scene with bemusement before nodding. "Yes. The Malfoy house-elves have been bound to my family for centuries. They won't hurt you." He reassured them. "They are our servants. They will bring you anything you want to drink or eat."

Marianne and Dudley stared at him incomprehensibly.

Harry stepped up and smiled disarmingly at them. "Here, watch." He said before he summoned Fritz up to them. "Would you bring us a glass of pumpkin juice and a glass of firewhiskey on the rocks?" He glanced back over at his very pregnant cousin then added. "A chair as well, please."

Fritz, nodded regally and bowed. "Of course, Master Harry." He said before he popped away.

No one spoke until he reappeared with a tall cold glass of juice for Marianne and a short tumbler of firewhiskey for Dudley. He held out a chair from a nearby table for Marianne and pushed it in for her as she sat down.

When he was gone again, Marianne turned to level an unreadable look on Draco. "They're servants."

Draco could feel another Granger-esque confrontation coming, but knew he couldn't avoid it. "Yes. The nature of house-elves is to serve. Previously it was to serve as if in slavery, but recently there has been a movement for elves to be freed and start to work for wages." He explained. "None of the Malfoy elves are free by their own choice."

"They choose to be in servitude?" She asked incredulously, a bit of an angry glint in her eyes. Draco could tell that she was becoming quickly disenchanted with the Wizarding World. Dudley didn't need to see the truth. He'd been forced into hiding during the war and attacked by Dementors. He knew it wasn't all charms and lights and old magical things.

Harry stepped up next to Draco and wrapped a comforting arm around his waist. "Yes. Freeing a house-elf is more complicated than simply saying it. Some of these elves have served a wizarding family for generations and take pride in their duties. The elves and the wizards are bound by magic that is old and nearly unbreakable. You have to have a house-elf wishing to separate from you in order for it happen."

There was no point in going through all of the details of presenting clothes, so they didn't try. Draco instead summoned one of his more mild mannered elves to him. "Frilly, would you be so kind as to answer any questions Marianne has about house-elves and your work?" He asked, but the house-elf took it for the order that it was.

She nodded and turned to smile brightly at the pregnant muggle. "I am being Frilly, Miss. What can I do for you?"

Marianne looked a little taken aback by having to actually speak to one of the creatures, but was soon asking a few questions about their magic and how they lived. The answers she received seemed to satisfy her.

Draco moved away from them and went to the two children standing close by just staring out at the gardens. "Don't you want to play in the gardens with the other children?" He asked when he reached them.

Eddy turned toward him, eyes wide. "Um- We've never seen some of those plants. Are they dangerous?" He asked, his arm going protectively around his little sister.

A small grin stole over Draco's lips. "There are some dangerous ones, but they've been warded with magic so that you can't get hurt by them." He explained. "Why don't I get my mother to come and show you some of the more exotic magical plants that we have?" He suggested and straightened, looking around until he caught his mother's eye. She excused herself from her conversation and made her way over to them.

Narcissa stopped in front of them and smiled at the two children she'd yet to be introduced to. "Hello." She greeted them with a smile.

"Mother." Draco smiled at her. "This is Edward and Chrysanthemum. They are Harry's cousins."

A brighter smile flashed over her face and she looked at them again with renewed interest. "Really? How wonderful! I'm Narcissa Malfoy."

"You're named after a flower too!" Chrissy cheered, a grin pulling at her blushing face.

"That's right, my dear." Narcissa nodded. "In fact, I believe we have some Narcissus and Dancing Chrysanthemums in the gardens. Would you both like to see them?"

Edward frowned at her even as his little sister nodded enthusiastically. "Dancing Chrysanthemums?" He asked dubiously.

Narcissa just nodded, eyes twinkling in the fairy lights. "The Malfoy gardens have many magical plants, Edward. Some are sweet and like to dance and some are mean and like to fight." She smirked at him knowing that she'd caught his attention. "I could show those to you as well, but you cannot touch them." She cautioned.

Both children looked utterly entranced by her as she lead them toward the gardens. Draco watched them with a wry smirk on his face. His mother could charm the stars from the sky if she really wanted them bad enough. Children were a piece of cake for her.

"So those are the muggles you didn't tell me were going to be in my home." Lucius drawled, suddenly appearing next to him.

Turning to regard him warily, Draco nodded. "I told you that Harry was inviting his muggle cousin and his family. Besides the children are wizards. They're in the Hogwarts book."

Lucius flicked his gray eyes from the barrel shaped man and his pretty wife to the two charming children they'd come with. "Interesting. Recessive gene, perhaps?" He inquired blandly as he sipped at his tumbler of scotch.

Draco shot him a wry smirk. "That's what I thought. Harry's and his cousin's mother were sisters, it could very well be recessive considering the wife has no magical history in her family."

"Hm." Lucius hummed absently as he continued to scan his eyes over the crowd. "You do realize that the Granger girl has been glaring at you all evening."

"Yes," was all Draco said on the matter. He didn't feel like getting into that issue with his father. "I need to go and check on the main course." He said and slipped away into the crowd only stopping to greet Mr. and Mrs. Granger when they stepped through the doors following a uniformed Shotzy.

Perhaps, they can put their daughter in a better mood, he thought as he strode down the stairs to the kitchen. But then again, probably not.

The moment he opened the kitchen door, his stomach almost rebelled on him. "Christ!" He cursed drawing every house-elves' attention. "What is that smell?" He demanded clapping a hand over his nose in self preservation.

"What smell, Master Draco?" Claude, the kitchen's head elf, asked bemusedly.

"That horrid smell!" He exclaimed. "Did something burn?"

Claude looked positively scandalized. "Certainly not, Master Draco." He huffed indignantly. "Perhaps it is the roasted duck you are smelling. Some find the aroma displeasing."

Draco had never before nearly vomited from smelling roasting bird before, but he just nodded. "Perhaps." He would think on it later. "Is the cake finished?"

Ruffled feathers forgotten, Claude beamed and clapped his hands together commandingly. Two other house-elves wheeled a massive cake shaped like a chameleon charmed to sway and change colors before him.

His breath caught in his throat and he grinned. "That's magnificent." He whispered, making the whole kitchen full of house-elves puff up their chests and preen. "Teddy will love it."

After being assured once again that there was no noxious smell, and that the main course would be on the table soon, Draco retreated from the kitchen and made his way back up to the party.

When he got there he was shocked speechless as the Minister of Magic pulled Harry into a tight hug and his wife kissed him on the cheek sweetly.

He'd known they were familiar, friends, but he hadn't realized that they were quite that close.

"Kingsley! Margaret!" Harry laughed, a bright smile on his face. "I'm so glad you could come."

"Oh, it is our pleasure, Harry." Margaret Shacklebolt grinned at him, her dark skin shining beautifully in the fairy lights. "I just can't believe that Teddy is eleven already."

"I know." Harry rubbed at the back of his neck bashfully. "It makes me feel old."

"Oh, tosh." Margaret scolded him, pinching his cheek lightly. "You're not even getting there yet. When you're as old as Kingsley and I, then you can talk of feeling it."

A shocked protesting look crossed his handsome young face. "But Margaret you're not old at all. You don't look a day over thirty." He smirked and winked at her flirtatiously.

"Stop making eyes at my wife." Kingsley grumbled playfully at him, before glancing around to see Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco himself staring at them with completely gobsmacked expressions on their faces. "Ah, Mrs. Malfoy, you have a lovely home." He smiled at her and grasped one of her hands in a light shake.

"Yes," Margaret agreed pleasantly. "It's very beautiful. I've never seen gardens like these before. How ever did you find all of these exotic plants?" Her dark eyes sparkled as she looked at the garden only to light up completely without warning. She rushed away from them to kneel just at the edge of wards around the Rapier Roses.

"My lord." She breathed pressing a hand to her breast. "Rapier Roses. I haven't seen these in years! Look Kingsley! Come look at these."

The Malfoys traded panicked looks only to be bowled over once again as the Minister strode over to his wife and leaned closer to examine the razor sharp petals of one blood red rose. "Well, look at that." He murmured with a smile on his lips. "This is one of the rarest species of Rapier Roses alive. How did you get these?"

"My mother planted them when she was Lady of the Manor. We haven't been able to uproot them since." Lucius explained calmly, having composed himself enough to hide his complete and utter panic.

"Amazing." Margaret breathed again. "I would love to get a cutting from these. Roses of any kind fascinate me."

Harry took the opportunity to speak. "I'm sure we can figure out a way to get you one. Neville's been having fits over all the exotic and rare plants the Malfoys have in the gardens, as well. We could probably get you cuttings if we put our heads together."

"That could certainly be arranged." Narcissa smiled lightly at Margaret, extremely thankful she was a temperate woman and not an alarmist. "Perhaps we should wait until the party is over to attempt it, though. Quite a few of our house-elves were injured just attempting to pull them from the ground."

"Oh!" Margaret looked concerned. "They weren't seriously hurt?"

"No." Narcissa assured her. "They'll be as good as new by Monday."

"And probably worked to the bone in punishment." Came a bitter mumble that -thankfully- only Draco heard.

Slowly turning his head, he caught Hermione's eyes and held them, the warning plainly clear. She didn't open her mouth again, but the sour expression on her face remained.

Stepping forward and pulling everyone's attention, Draco smiled brightly for them. "Dinner is about to be served. Would you all please find your seats."

The children were rounded up and seated at their own tables while the adults shuffled around and found spots open around the patio.

The Minister and his wife found a place with the Lovegoods and Neville; the Grangers and Arthur and Molly seated themselves with Dudley and Marianne, and the rest of the group all laughed and joked while they mixed themselves up. Hagrid had a wrought-iron bench pulled up to a table with Aberforth, McGonagall, Bill and Fleur, while Andromeda sat with Narcissa, Lucius, Charlie, George, and Angelina.

Draco stared around from his place with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Percy and Audrey and smiled. Everyone was mixed and matched and looked comfortable and happy.

Soon after everyone was settled great platters of food appeared in front of them and the feast began.

Conversation at their table was a tad strained for a time. Ron looked truly unhappy and a bit sloshed. Hermione kept shooting him scathing looks. Audrey and Percy seemed uncomfortable with the tension and Harry was at a complete loss.

Finally, Draco bit into his duck and turned to Audrey. "I understand that you work at the Ministry as well. What do you do there?" He asked politely.

She seemed extremely thankful for his inquiry. "I work in the Department of Feminine Issues and Lobbying."

"Really?" He said with genuine interest. "I've always heard of that branch, but have never quite figured out what you do there."

"Oh, well, we lobby for funding of different charities that help woman and funding for medical research and things like that." Audrey told him as she took a bite of her asparagus with obvious relish.

"What charities do you support? What type of research?" He continued, ignoring the scowling from Hermione and the tentative conversation Harry was trying to strike with his two best friends.

"Mostly shelters for woman -and men- abused by either their families or spouses." Audrey answered with a sobering voice. "There is a rash of abuse in mixed homes and we find that there just isn't enough help going out to those people that need it."

"Mixed homes?" He asked, feeling slightly out of his depth.

"Yes." She nodded flicking a nervous glance across the table at Hermione. "Meaning homes where witches, sometimes wizards, have married into a muggle family and their spouses do not take to their magic well. Often times, as well, homes where a pure-blood has married a muggle-born or half-blood. Political differences are one of the leading conflicts that we encounter in abusive relationships."

Draco heard a hiss from Hermione and glanced at her to see that she was glaring at him in a pointed way, as if she really thought that his and Harry's past political difference's would truly make a difference.

Ron looked at his wife and at her unpleasant face only to sigh, gulp down the rest of his drink and signal a house-elf for another one. Harry had long since given up conversation with either of them and was now discussing Quidditch with Percy.

"And research." Draco urged on. "What sort of research do you lobby for?"

"Oh, all sorts." Audrey waved her hand around a little bit of excitement filtering in through her eyes. "Originally, we started with women's health research. You know, like gynecology and-"

"Ah, yes." Draco cut her off with an embarrassed blush. "That sort of thing. What else?"

She laughed at him, but continued on, not wishing to make him uncomfortable. "We find that the muggles have a much more in-depth understanding of the body than we do. They have not had quick-fix healing magic, so they've done scads of research into the way the body works. We lobby to integrate their knowledge with our own. Not just for the benefit of women, but hopefully men and everyone else as well."

"That's fascinating." Draco said truly meaning it. "That's not just women specific, though." He commented shoveling more mashed potatoes onto his plate. God, why was he so freaking hungry?

"No," she shook her head in agreement. "The women specific research we do is more attuned to fertility, and pregnancy and the like."

There was a slightly choked sound from across the table, but by now they were both used to ignoring any disturbance.

"There is a reason why the Wizarding World seems to be shrinking and we're trying to find out why the birth rate is so low." Audrey continued on, with Draco's now completely undivided attention. "We have found that infertility and miscarriages are rather more common with witches than they are with muggles."

That made Draco's heart hurt for a moment with old memories of his mother's heartbroken tears and his father's helpless silence.

"The research we work to fund is geared toward discovering why that is and finding ways to rectify it." She said soberly.

"Couldn't some of the problem lay with men, though?" Draco asked.

"Mm." She nodded thoughtfully before answering. "The research that's been conducted has shown that most wizards have a pretty average sperm count and that the problems, the miscarriages occur partway through the first trimester in women and Matris. The embryo will attach to the uterine wall and begin to grow then for no apparent reason detach itself and begin to disintegrate."

Some men would have been positively traumatized by this conversation, but Draco found that he wasn't. Maybe it was because he was a Matris and had, consequently, done mountains of research himself into pregnancy, fertility, and the like.

"You mentioned Matris." He said. "Does your research also cover them considering that they are actually men?"

Audrey rolled her eyes and nodded. "The department was named by sexist old men with long gray beards that knew little to nothing about 'feminine issues', as they're termed. We've tired to think up another name, but nothing really sums it up like the current one."

Draco just laughed. "I'm sure the Martis and other men of the community will forgive you this once for the oversight."

They chuckled over that and continued on with various conversations that stemmed from their previous one. Harry and Percy finally drew Ron into a debate about the best Keepers in the World Cup league, but Hermione wouldn't be persuaded. She seemed silently deflated and simply sat in her seat and pushed her food around her plate.

Dinner went on comfortably. When it was over and the dishes were cleared, Draco signaled to a house-elf and stood from his seat. "It's time to sing to the birthday boy!"

Everyone cheered and Teddy turned bright red. Of course, he only stayed that way until the cake came out and he lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh wow!" He exclaimed and hopped up from his seat to meet the cake on it's way toward him.

"Look Dad!" He yelled toward Harry. "It's a chameleon, just like me!" He jumped up and down excitedly, his hair changing colors along with his cake.

Harry smiled proudly at him as he pulled his wand and lit the eleven candles perched along the ridge of the chameleon's back. "You ready, Teddy?" He asked grinning.

"Yeah!" He cheered thrusting an arm into the air and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Everyone smiled and laughed and they started to sing "Happy Birthday" in all different pitches and times and tones, but it still sounded nice and Teddy still laughed brightly as Hagrid hit a low bass note that made the ground vibrate beneath their feet.

"Alright, Teddy!" Andromeda said from her place next to Harry. "Make a wish and blow out the candles!"

The little boy paused in his bouncing and the crowd quieted in anticipation.

Teddy glanced around him with a serious expression on his young face. He looked at Harry who was smiling proudly at him and at Draco who was holding Harry's hand and watching him with a pleased grin on his face. He looked at James and Albus and Scorpius and Lily remembering their scheming and their adventures and their hopes for the future of their family.

He looked at Marianne and her large rounded belly then back at Draco and grinned mischievously.

Taking a deep breath, he rose onto the tips of his toes with the force of it and blew as hard as he could. Every single candle extinguished itself in perfect synchronization.

The crowd cheered and clapped and the chameleon was uncharmed and cut into. Teddy had the largest piece and finished every last bit of it. Draco had two and very nearly licked the plate clean.

Harry chuckled at the sight of all the children with icing on their faces and clothes and didn't envy George and Angelina the job of cleaning their kids up as they started to shove cake in each other's faces and on each other's clothes.

He was about to step in as the food started flying through the air when a turbaned man at the door to the Manor caught his eye. He turned and grinned as he saw Mowgli smiling in the children's direction and carrying a large covered cage.

"Harry? Who is that?" Draco asked him as he bit into a wonderfully icy bite of cake.

"That," Harry answered with an excited flush on his cheeks, "is the man I bought Teddy's gift from."

Draco's eyes widened and he glanced back over at the Indian wizard once again. "You bought Teddy an exotic bird?" He asked incredulously.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Not just any exotic bird. An exotic bird that will deliver mail like an owl." He grinned again at Draco's stunned face.

"I thought only owls could deliver mail." He said bemusedly.

"Nope." Harry shook his head. "While my godfather was on the run, I would get letters from him carried by toucans and pelicans and every other exotic bird you could think of. Once, he even sent an albatross."

"Wow." Draco said then smirked at him. "You know that's the perfect gift for Teddy, right?"

Harry smiled brightly at him and kissed his sugary flavored lips. "I know." He said before he set his cake down and made his way toward Mowgli.

"Ah, Harry." Mowgli smiled at him as he neared and held the cage up to show him. "I have brought her. Right on time, I think." He said gesturing toward the half eaten chameleon cake.

Harry laughed and carefully took the cage from him. "You're welcome to stay, if you like."

Mowgli just grinned at him and shook his head. "I will stay until your Chameleon sees his gift then I must leave. My wife is making curry tonight."

Nodding in agreement, Harry gestured for him to follow and led the way back toward the kids, drawing everyone's attention.

"What's that, Harry?" Teddy asked as he neared him, his eyes riveted on the covered cage in his godfather's hands.

"This is for you." Harry said with a small, proud smile and set the cage on the table in front of his wide eyed godson. "Happy Birthday, Teddy."

"Wow." Teddy breathed before he quickly ripped the cloth off and gasped at the sight in the cage.

Inside, standing regally on her perch, was a large Eclectus Parrot(2) with a deep red feathered head, back, and wings, a royal blue belly, and an orange and yellow tail. She turned and blinked at him with bright yellow eyes and moved her head around in curiosity.

Teddy was entranced. "She is so cool!" He exclaimed and hurriedly popped the cage open without a second thought and thrust his arm inside waiting patiently until the parrot had hopped aboard and let him pull her out of the bars.

There were several gasps from the gathering children and adults as everyone stared raptly at the bird and Teddy. "She's amazing." The little boy breathed as he lifted a hand and stroked it down her back softly.

Turning his bright yellow eyes on his godfather, he asked, "What's her name?"

"She's yours to name, Teddy." Harry told him quietly. "She's a post bird, like an owl, and will take packages and mail for you."

Teddy remained quiet for a time, just looking into her yellow eyes and petting her silky soft feathers. "Ruby." He murmured at length. "Her name's Ruby."

"That's a very pretty name for her, Teddy." Andromeda stepped up and kissed him on the head as she combed her fingers through his messy hair. "Very appropriate as well." She grinned as the red bird hopped onto her grandson's shoulder and began nibbling at his ear with her black beak affectionately.

Teddy giggled and continued to pet the bird gently, as the other children gathered around him asking to touch and stare at his knew pet in awe.

Harry was bombarded with questions and didn't have time to notice Mowgli sneaking away from the party to disappear through the floo again. He answered every question he knew how to answer about Eclectus Parrots. What they ate, their temperament, their care, and how large they got.

Ruby was already full grown at thirty-five centimeters in length and could live up to fifty years. She was quieter than some parrots, but could still scream when she got it in her head to do so. Much like she just did, overexcited and nearly deafening all the adults in the area.

There was much laughing and some more fawning before Harry was able to make it back to Draco's smirking side.

"So, what do you think?" He asked, smiling nervously.

Draco looked as though he was thinking for a moment before threading his fingers through Harry's hair and drawing him close to press a soft kiss to his smiling lips. "I think it was the perfect gift, Harry. Well done."

* * *

(1) Translated to: "Hurry up with those chairs! You must tell the kitchen to cook faster!"

(2) A link to the picture of Ruby, the Eclectus Parrot can be found on my profile.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, **reference and discussion of difficult topics**  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 3,512  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

**P.S.**: This chapter deals with a highly emotional, often difficult topic. Be warned that it is not meant to be lighthearted and happy.

*****Chapter Eighteen*****

The party was dying down. Harry had left a moment ago to help an exhausted Marianne, Dudley, Chrissy, and Eddy back through the floo. Hagrid was passed out on his bench, a plate of Narcissa's good china holding a half eat chameleon cake tail was resting on his belly. Minerva was chatting with Aberforth, and the Grangers were bidding their daughter and her husband goodnight.

Some of the kids were passed out around the patio on the silk embroidered cushions the house-elves set out for them, but a few were still chatting and playing more sedate games in small groups. Percy and Audrey had already gathered their girls and headed home along with Bill and Fleur and their three kids. George and Angelina were still going strong, though, their kids still hopped up on sugar.

Neville and Margaret were talking plants while Luna tried to convince her rather drunk father that it was a better idea to go skyclad(1) at home rather than in the Malfoy gardens.

Glancing around, Draco spotted his son asleep on a pile of pillows curled securely around Albus. It seemed sweet and intimate in a childish way and it sparked an idea in Draco's mind that he resolved to watch out for in the future.

He glanced back over toward the kids sitting on the stone patio and smiled at the look of utter pride Teddy was taking in Ruby and how James seemed to be indulging him in it while he carried on about how pretty she was. It made him feel tender and amused all at once to see.

Lily shifted and made a sound in her sleep, drawing Draco's attention down to her. He smiled tenderly as he stroked a hand over her hair. She'd crawled up onto the bench with him not long ago and fallen fast a sleep with her head on his lap. It made Draco feel distinctly warm and loved in an entirely different way than Harry did. He loved it all same.

"How are you holding up?" Harry murmured in his ear as he walked around the bench and carded a hand through Draco's hair.

"Mm." He moaned in pleasure. "I'm pleasantly exhausted." A smile curved at his lips as he glanced out over the gardens once more to see his parents slow dancing in the shadows to their own music.

Harry smiled. "Me too. This was great, Draco. I can't thank you and your parents enough for doing this for Teddy." He leaned down and kissed him softly, massagingly.

"Oh, do that a little more and it will certainly be enough thanks." Draco grinned, tugging him back into another kiss. Their tongues twisted and their noses nuzzled against each other as their lips moved together and against. It was positively blissful.

As they deepened the kiss, Draco was about to pull back and suggest they save it for later when an anguished cry drew everyone's attention.

Snapping their heads around, they saw a shocked Ron and a red faced, tear stained Hermione standing near the doors to the Manor.

"It's gone, Ron!" Hermione gasped loud enough for everyone in the silence to hear. "It's gone. I couldn't-... It-..." She sobbed and her words were lost until Ron tried to step forward and touch her again.

"No!" She cried, stepping away from him and wrapping her arms around her body. "It died, Ron, and it was my fault!" She pounded on her chest with one shaking hand painfully. "How can you even -stand- to look at me? Our baby is gone and it was my fault." She trailed off into a whisper, her bloodshot brown eyes streaming with tears.

Ron was shocked immobile.

Hermione stood completely still for a moment, just crumbling in on herself until she realized that they were the center of attention. Then she bolted.

Before Ron could even think to catch her, Hermione had disappeared into the massive Manor house and Draco doubted very much that she would ever be found if she didn't want anyone to find her.

Acting quickly, on instinct, Draco eased out from under Lily placing a pillow under her head and shouted for Shotzy.

The house-elf popped into existence and stood at attention.

"Shut down the floo! No one leaves or enters until I say otherwise." The elf looked surprised for a moment before nodding and popping back out again.

"Draco." He turned to see his mother looking haunted and worried, her hand grasping tightly to his father's.

"Will you come with me?" He asked quietly. "I think it would help."

Narcissa looked torn for a moment until she looked at her husband and saw nothing, but support and understanding on his beautiful face. Turning back to her son, she nodded slowly.

"Thank you." Draco whispered and kissed her on the cheek before turning again and looking at Harry. "We'll go talk to her, Harry. Would you..." He gestured to the stunned guests murmuring and whispering worriedly around them.

Harry looked confused, but he nodded and stroked a hand over Draco's hair in a rare show of truly intimate tenderness. "I'll take care of them."

Draco nodded and turned, his mother following silently behind him. As they passed Ron, he paused and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't know?" He asked lowly, so that only they could hear.

"No." Ron breathed numbly. "I had no idea. I-... She didn't say anything. I should have... I should have known." He said, voice breaking.

"You couldn't have." Draco murmured, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "We'll see to her. Why don't you go and sit with your kids for a bit." He nodded over his shoulder to the two children crying with their grandparents. "They need you a bit more right now."

Ron seemed to shake himself before he nodded and hurried off to his children.

Draco and Narcissa continued on into the house and asked a few of the quieter, more discreet elves to begin a search. It wasn't long until they found her.

"Missy Hermione is being in the library, Mistress." Frilly said with a solemn look on her elfin face.

"Thank you, Frilly." Narcissa breathed bracingly before they both began heading toward the West wing.

They stepped into the library to find it dark and unlit. It didn't particularly surprise them, but they lit their wands instead of the lamps and ventured into the cavernous room. The sound of quiet sobbing lead them to her.

Rounding a bookshelf, Draco saw Hermione curled into a tight ball in the very back corner of the arithmancy section crying her heart out.

"Go away!" She sobbed into her knees. "I don't need you to come and gloat."

Draco let out a humorless laugh that hurt to hear. "Trust me on this, Granger. I have not come to gloat." He stepped forward and seated himself comfortably on the floor next to her leaving his mother to do the same, folding her legs to one side daintily.

They were quiet for a time, only the sound of Hermione's forcibly stifled sobs ringing into the near darkness around them. "What happened Hermione?" Draco finally asked softly, his voice low and soothing.

She sucked in a shuddering breath. "I was at work. I'd just found out that we were having another baby and I was so happy..." She trailed off and shuddered. "Then I felt this pain. It was -awful-, I didn't even have time to make it to the bathroom before I felt it." She clasped a hand to her mouth for a moment looking almost like she was going to be sick. "I felt my baby die... in all that blood."

"Oh, my dear." Narcissa murmured sadly wrapping her arms around Hermione's shaking shoulders and tugging her to lean into her chest. "It's alright. Let it out. Just cry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. " She whispered into Hermione's wild hair as the poor heartbroken girl just let go and started bawling.

"It hurts, so much!" She sobbed into Narcissa's chest. "Why? Why was it my baby?"

Draco's heart almost broke for her, then. He reached over and rubbed at her back soothingly.

Narcissa had to blink back her own tears as her memories came flashing back with more pain and anguish than she thought she could take. "I don't know, Hermione." She said. "You will never know, but you will live through it and the pain will ease. It won't ever go away completely, but it will ease. I promise you that."

"How can you know?" She asked not sounding accusing, but genuinely hopeless. "How can this possibly ease?"

"I know because I've been through this four times." Narcissa answered her, voice going cold and dead.

Hermione's sobs quieted and she pulled away to look at her through blurred eyes. "Four times?" She breathed, absolutely horrified.

"Yes." Narcissa nodded as she lifted a hand to sweep damp hair away from Hermione's face comfortingly. "After Draco was born, I wished for another child so sincerely. Lucius and I tried and tried, but every time it was the same." She paused to swallow back the lump that had started to squeeze in her throat. "Every time they would die before they even had a chance. Three times I miscarried." She whispered sounding choked.

"And then one survived past the first trimester."

Draco felt tears start to well up in his eyes as he remembered, as well. The screaming had been frightening, and his Grand-mère had kept him in another wing of the Manor. He'd been scared for his mother and scared for his little brother or sister. It didn't sound like it should have; all that pain.

Then everything had gone quiet. So quiet. He had sneaked away from his Grand-mère's side and crept up to his mother's birthing room. What he'd seen there he would never forget.

He'd seen his mother lying exhausted in bed, holding a frighteningly still bundle in her shaking arms, just crying. Her sobbing racked her whole body until she lifted her head and her face had looked nothing like his mother. It had looked old and haunted and twisted with unimaginable grief.

"Lucius." She sobbed, staring at her husband with dead blue eyes. "Lucius, she's not... she didn't..." She chocked and gasped through her tears, sounding desolate.

He'd watch as his grave faced father stepped toward the bed and carefully lifted the silent bundle from her nearly limp arms. "I know, Narcissa." He'd murmured quietly, leaning forward to bury his nose in her sweat damp hair a moment before pulling away. "I know."

After that Draco couldn't remember much, but he knew that they'd laid the baby, his little sister, to rest in the family mausoleum at the very edge of their property. He knew that she'd gone unnamed as was Wizarding custom, but had been given a place of respect with the other Malfoys that had gone before her.

He knew that his mother had a small lock of blond hair tied with a dark green ribbon and hidden away in a plain little silver box at the very back of the last drawer in her jewelry box.

He knew that his mother never looked at it.

He knew that his father sometimes did.

Closing his eyes on the memories, Draco came back to the present to find Narcissa watching him as if she had gone on that journey with him and had known exactly what he had seen.

Hermione watched his mother with trepidation and sorrow in her teary brown eyes. "One survived?"

Narcissa snapped back to herself and turned to look at Hermione again. "Yes. One lived past the first trimester, but did not live through the rest of the pregnancy." She said tonelessly. "It was born still."

A shuddering breath was sucked into Hermione's lungs and she gently pulled away from Narcissa pressing a hand to her own chest as if to stop her own heartbeat. "God. I'm sorry."

Narcissa shook her head slightly and fluttered a hand up to her throat then back down to her lap, not sure what to do with them. "It was a long time ago, Hermione. The pain has dulled, the loss felt less keenly, but I still remember and love them, each and every one. What helped me the most, what helped me move on, what I would not have survived with my sanity intact without, was my son and my husband." She said, sounding as though she wanted nothing more than to be in the light and away from the lingering pain.

Draco and Hermione both watched her intently. Waiting for her to continue. They didn't have to wait long.

"I focused on the love I have for them and the love they gave to me, and every day the hurt got a little less; a little better." Narcissa said quietly staring off into the darkness. "Focus on something else, dear." She told her. "Focus on your beautiful children and your amazing husband. They love you dearly, no matter what. They will continue loving you, no matter what."

The three of them were quiet for a time until Hermione spoke again. "After it happened, I thought I would die too." She whispered, her shoulders still hunched and head bowed deeply. "I couldn't bear the thought of telling Ron. Of telling anyone."

Draco watched her for a moment before murmuring, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Hermione lifted her head and stared into the darkness around them unseeingly. "I just keep asking myself, why? What did I do that would have caused it? How could I have let it happen?"

Slowly, Draco lifted a hand and wrapped it around one of hers, squeezing it comfortingly and receiving a near bone breaking squeeze in return. "It's not your fault, Hermione. It's just one of those things that happen with no rhyme or reason that we just have live with. It's heartbreaking and will stay with you forever, but it's not the end of the world and if you keep dwelling on it, keep blaming yourself, it will tear you apart. And tear your family apart."

They sat in silence again, Hermione grasping Draco's hand like a life line and Narcissa combing fingers through her hair absently. Her tears had dried and her sobs quieted and all that was left was an empty numbness.

"I couldn't tell Ron." She whispered again, more to herself and the darkness than to Draco and Narcissa.

"I know." Draco said soothingly as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "I think it will help if you talk about it with him. It will help both of you."

She nodded slowly before turning her head to look at him with dull, but apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry I had to do this now. At your house." Her face twisted in remorse. "At Teddy's birthday party."

Draco gave her a wane smile and gently released her hand. "The party was already over,"  
he comforted. "And it's better to do this at an inopportune time than to let it fester."

"That's right, my dear." Narcissa said softly drawing Hermione's attention as she tucking a wild lock hair behind the younger woman's ear. "We're just glad we were able to help you. You just needed someone to talk to, that knew what you were going through."

Hermione nodded and looked her solemnly in the eyes. "Thank you. For telling me."

"That's alright." Narcissa murmured, waving a dismissive hand through air and averting her gaze. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Not better, but getting there." She replied and Narcissa nodded understandingly before moving gracefully to her feet.

"Come along, then, Hermione." She said as the girl stood up, followed closely by Draco. "You're in no condition to be going anywhere and I'm sure your husband and children aren't much better. I'll show you to a guest suite then Draco will send Ronald up to you."

Hermione didn't protest, but paused before following Narcissa from the room. Looking back at Draco, she met his gaze before letting it drift away. "There-... I'm not sure that I trust you or your feelings for Harry, yet." She said quietly. "There is too much history, too many bitter memories between you and us for me to just blindly accept this. But," she paused seeming almost reluctant to continue, "but you i_have_/i changed. I can see that. And you make Harry happy."

He watched her with an impassive face. "I understand how you feel." He said, and he really did. "I don't expect you to just forget seven years of hatred and contention." He looked her in the eyes for the first time since she had spoken. "I realize that, perhaps some of your antagonism has not been natural, has been exacerbated by your loss." He murmured softly, regretfully. "For Harry's sake, and for Ron's as well, I would like it if we could get past all of that. If we could work at being civil and getting to know each other beyond past misdeeds and transgressions."

Hermione held his gaze for a heartbeat, silently searching him for insincerity or duplicity. Upon finding none, she nodded silently in agreement and turned away from him to join Narcissa where she was waiting at the door to the library.

After both women had gone, Draco watched them walk sedately down the hall toward the guest suites speaking in quiet, solemn tones.

The whole episode had been heartbreaking and despite the small respite where he and Grang- _Hermione_ had come to an agreement, Draco could still feel the weight of sorrow on his shoulders. He prayed with all his might that he never had to go through what Hermione and his mother had. He prayed all the way back down to the garden.

* * *

That night Harry and Draco lay awake in Draco's bed just holding each other, both of their minds running in circles and their heartbeats inordinately comforting to one another.

"Harry..." Draco breathed as he sat up and moved closer to him, pressing their faces together and squeezing his eyes closed to the fear and sadness he felt.

"Draco?" He asked tightening his arms around his lover and touching their lips together softly.

That was what he needed, Draco realized, just that. He exhaled waveringly before kissing Harry deeply, languidly, offering and begging all at once.

He didn't have to ask twice.

Ron stared at his wife's, his best friend's shaking back completely at a loss. His heart was physically aching and he felt like his throat was so tight that he couldn't breathe, but still he didn't know how to console the woman he loved with all his heart.

Tentatively, he rolled onto his side and reached out a hand toward her.

"Ron." Hermione sobbed into the darkness, wishing, hoping, praying for him to know what she was asking.

A shuddering breath escaped him and he didn't waste any time. He scooted up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, covering her clinched hands pressed to her chest comfortingly with one of his own. He buried his face in her hair and just pressed her close against his chest.

"I love you." He whispered to her in the dark, barely audible. She began to cry in earnest after that, but it felt reassuring. She felt reassured as she clung to his hand in the night and cried out the last of her grief.

"No, Lucius." Narcissa murmured to him as he reached for the lamp on his side of the bed. He looked at her questioningly. "Leave it on?" She asked quietly, her eyes duller than normal, darker.

Silently, he nodded and left the light burning as he slid into bed and pulled the covers up around them. He stretched out on his back and left one arm held away from his body in invitation. He didn't have to wait long.

Narcissa crawled toward him slowly, until she was nearly on top of him and had her face completely hidden in his neck. She felt his strong, sure arms wrap tightly around her and she felt old tears and old sobs rising to the surface once again.

"I'm sorry." She whispered into his skin feeling his pulse beat against her lips. "I'm sorry."

Lucius didn't say anything. He just held onto her tightly and squeezed his eyes shut against the dim light in the room and the old helplessness he could feel breaking from his control.

"I know." He thought as his beloved wife shook in his arms with the effort of controlling her grief.

"Me too." He thought as he rolled them onto their sides and curled around her as far as he could.

He was hurting too, but he had to be strong for his family. He would be, but he gave himself that one moment in the dim light of his bedroom with his wife as his only witness to truly feel the grief for second time in his life.

* * *

(1) Skyclad is a Wiccan term that refers to the practice of being naked during rituals.

TBC...


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 6,052  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Nineteen*****

The next morning breakfast was a rather odd affair. There were four more guests sitting at the Malfoy table than normal. Not that Narcissa minded much, seeing as there were two more children to fawn and fuss over.

Lucius just rolled his eyes at his wife and went back to reading his Sunday _Daily Prophet_. Or at least that's what it looked like he was doing. He didn't exactly want anyone to know that he was reading the _Quibbler _behind the larger newspaper.

Really, those articles on the Rotfang Conspiracy were truly fascinating. Total crap, obviously -gum disease, really?-, but they were rather well researched and thought out considering.

He peaked over the top of his newspaper to make sure no one was paying attention to him as he turned a page in the magazine. He would never live it down if Potter found out he'd bought a subscription after their meeting with Miss Lovegood.

The children were giggling and munching on chocolate chip pancakes -Teddy's favorite in honor of his birthday- while the adults smiled at them indulgently and cleaned them up when needed. Lily had begged and pleaded the night before and when backed up by her brothers finally convinced Harry to let them bring their snakes to the Manor to spend the night.

So, now, Lucius's breakfast room looked like a bloody zoo.

Teddy was busy trying to make nice between his three pets while the other children talked and chatted with their snakes and each other, translating when need be. Really it was the weirdest breakfast he'd had in a long time. Not that he minded much.

He wouldn't admit it under pain of death, but he liked the noise in the Manor. The giggling and the patter of little feet. He'd missed it since Draco had gone to Hogwarts and hadn't realized it until Scorpius was born and it had returned.

Well, he'd gotten what he didn't know he'd wished for... in spades. Potter's children sure made enough noise for a small army.

He scoffed to himself and rolled his eyes before glancing back at his _Quibb_-uh-_Prophet_. Of course the fact that he now had a rather large snake sitting in his lap reading his paper nearly made him jump out of his skin.

Calmly, he lowered the paper to the table causing the snake to turn and look at him with annoyed black eyes.

_"I wasn't done with that article yet."_ The snake hissed at him petulantly.

Not that Lucius understood it.

"Albus, come and take your snake from my lap." Lucius called over the giggly din that was flowing around the table. "I do not appreciate _things _reading over my shoulder, thank you very much."

The little boy clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter before he slid from his chair and padded over to the head of the table. He expertly lifted Tal from Lucius's lap and hissed something to the snake.

Looking back up at the seemingly annoyed, frowning wizard, Albus smiled bashfully at him. "Tal says he's sorry for being rude."

"That's quite alright." Lucius nodded dismissively. "Perhaps next time he will remember to ask before taking such liberties."

Tal started hissing to Albus again and the little boy frowned in confusion glancing from the closed _Prophet _and back to Lucius before translating. "He asked if he can read the _Quibbler _after you. He didn't get to finish the story on the East Indian Jumping Snakes."

There was a chocked sound at the other end of the table and a muffled laugh, but Lucius ignored it. He also ignored the heated blush starting at the top of his ears, but that's neither here nor there.

"Yes, well," Lucius cleared his throat and quickly slipped the magazine from the folds of his paper and handed it to a giggling Albus. "I was finished with it anyway."

The kids all giggled louder, their mouths mostly full with syrupy pancakes, while Ron and Hermione stared at him gob smacked and Harry and Draco failed to completely control their amusement.

Lucius scowled around the table at all the smiling faces only making them laugh harder. Finally he just gave up and pushed his paper away to start on his breakfast. A familiar hand on his arm had him look up to see his softly smiling wife.

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before returning to her own breakfast. Consequently, that made him feel much better and his menacing scowl softened to a huff of a mild annoyance.

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. Harry had said that the Malfoys were different, more human than they seemed. That they treated the kids wonderfully, but she hadn't really believed it. At least not until last night.

But now she was having breakfast with them and Narcissa was fawning over Rose and giggling with her about girly things, Lucius wasn't cruel or cold or even indifferent, and Draco was cutting up Hugo's pancakes for him.

"Hugo, sweetie, that is just not going to fit into your mouth." Draco chuckled as the little boy tired to stuff the greater half of a single pancake into his small mouth. He had syrup all over his face and even a little bit in his fiery red hair.

Hugo stopped his futile eating attempts and scowled at his sterling silver forked pancake like it had personally insulted him. The child was nearly a spitting image of his father, in looks and in nature. It made Draco want laugh all the way out of his chair.

Instead, he just took the fork from him and picked up the boy's neglected knife. "Here, let's cut that smaller. Do you want square pieces or just any old shape?" He asked with the knife poised over the food.

Hugo's brow furrowed in concentration until he finally looked at Draco with a very serious nod. "I want square." He said.

Chuckling, Draco schooled his face into seriousness and returned the nod. "Of course. Wouldn't taste the same otherwise."

Hermione watched all of this and couldn't help the enormously guilty ache that started in her chest. She had been very uncharacteristically unfair to Draco and she wanted desperately to make up for it.

Picking up her own perfectly polished silverware, she began to eat her pancakes and actually enjoy her breakfast.

"Draco, what are you eating?" Harry scrunched up his nose in disgust as Draco slathered his pancake in mustard.

"I have no idea, but it's delicious." Draco mumbled around his food causing Scorpius to mock scold him for talking with his mouthful. He shot his son an exaggerated glare and made a show of chewing with his mouth open just to spite.

"Draco!" Narcissa gasped from across the table in horror. "I taught you better manners than that. Close your mouth this instant!"

The children burst out laughing and Draco made a show of pouting, but did indeed close his mouth and continue eating with much more decorum.

Narcissa sighed in motherly exasperation, but smiled at the display all the same. Draco was really a natural with children. It amazed her. When he was a child he could be so ill tempered and demanding, but he had grown into a wonderful young man that put the ones he loved ahead of himself first and foremost.

It made her heart beat painfully with love for him.

She watched him for across the table as he started to try and clean little Hugo's syrup covered face with sure gentle strokes and wondered if he was such a naturally paternal -maternal- man because he was a Matris.

Her thoughts paused and her eyes flicked toward her son's mustard and pancake covered plate then back to him. Shaking her head to herself she just pushed her thoughts away and went back to her conversation with Lily and Rose.

A house-elf dressed as a miniature butler strode into the breakfast room carrying a silver tray in one hand.

"The owls have come, Master Lucius." He said in a squeaky voice, holding the tray aloft for Lucius to take the missives from it.

"Thank you, Turnby. That will be all." He said as he flipped through the envelopes reading the addresses absently.

The house-elf bowed and left the room.

Lucius got to the last letter and paused in surprise. It had a very familiar wax seal stamped on the back. For some reason he hadn't expected the letter to come to the Manor.

Lifting his head he caught everyone's attention just by sheer force of will and the table fell silent. Narcissa frowned in worry and placed a hand on his arm once more. "Lucius?"

He turned an gave her a reassuring smile. "It would seem that there is a letter for _Mr. T. R. Lupin, The Breakfast Table, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire_." He read off the exact address with an affected seriousness.

There was a startled gasp from said little boy and he quickly stood from his chair without dislodging either of his snakes or his parrot. "Really? They sent my Hogwarts letter here?" He asked in excitement as he rushed toward Lucius, face bright.

"So, it would seem." Lucius drawled in amusement and obligingly handed the letter to Teddy's eager hands. "Open it and see what it says."

Of course all the adults already knew what it said, but the children were curious and watching in awe as Teddy gingerly pried the seal on the envelope open and pulled his letter from inside.

_"What - - say?"_ Nova hissed eagerly at him.

_"Yeah! - it!"_ Stella urged him, her head bobbing in the air excitedly.

Teddy had been trying to learn Parseltongue with Scorpius and could understand maybe every third word. He wasn't anywhere near fluent, but he could get the general gist of what his snakes were saying.

Taking a deep breath, he unfolded the letter and began to read out loud to everyone watching him.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
_of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall  
_(Order of Merlin, Second Class)_

Dear Mr. Lupin,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed as list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,

Neville Longbottom,  
_Deputy Headmaster_

Teddy stopped reading and lifted his head, a bright grin on his lips as he met Harry's proud smiling face. "I'm going to Hogwarts!" He shouted bouncing up and down excitedly.

Harry stood from his seat and pulled Teddy into a tight hug. "That's wonderful." Harry said mussing up Teddy's bright blue hair. "Read the rest. Let's see what the damage on school supplies will be."

They read through the list together as the rest of the room went back to their food. It was all pretty standard from what Harry could remember. Wand, cauldron, uniform, dragon hide gloves; the books hadn't changed much either except for the Herbology book Neville had written. The reading of the list went without a hitch until they got all the way to the end.

Teddy made a distressed noise and looked up at Harry frantically. "I can't bring Nova, Stella, or Ruby with me?" He asked sounding completely horrified.

Harry frowned and took the letter from his son's hands reading through it once more. "I don't know, Teddy. We can owl Professor McGonagall and ask her. I'm sure she'd let you since Ruby is a mail bird and Nova and Stella are pretty self sufficient. Maybe we can convince her the snakes are for your supplementary learning."

"How are Teddy's snakes supplementary?" Hermione asked curiously as she creased her brow in thought.

Harry hummed distractedly as he continued to peruse the letter. "Teddy and Scorpius are trying to learn Parseltongue. It helps to have the snakes to focus on." He mumbled to himself and tapped his chin in thought.

Ron and Hermione looked utterly stunned. "They're trying to learn Parseltongue?" Ron asked incredulously. "Can you even do that? I thought it was inherited."

"It is." Harry replied with a nod.

"Any language is teachable." Draco added seeing that Harry was lost in some sort of mind maze. "They all have structure and form and rules. Same with Parseltongue. I've never heard of it being done, but our boys are trying." He shrugged, a thinly disguised proud quirk to his lips as he sipped at his tea.

It didn't escape anyone at the table, except for Draco and Harry, that he'd said "our boys". Ron and Hermione traded a look before glancing back at the rest of the group. "Are you actually learning?" She asked Scorpius, her analytical voice very familiar to her two best friends.

"Yeah." Scorpius nodded as he stuffed some hash-browns into his mouth. "It's hard, but I think I can understand a little bit. I can tell what they're talking about at least." He shrugged and lifted a hand to stroke over Tal's head as the snake curled around Albus's shoulders.

"Me too." Teddy piped in, a good portion of his attention still fastened on the Hogwarts letter his godfather was mulling over. "I get about every two or three words."

"That's amazing." Hermione breathed and leaned back in her chair with a far away look in her eyes that meant she was puzzling over something very complicated and extremely esoteric.

"Mm, yes." Lucius drawled in amusement as he watched the children eye him suspiciously. They could tell he was on about something and they were wary of him. "It's astonishing what the children can accomplish once they put their minds to it. Especially with those snakes."

Scorpius's eyes grew wide and he started shaking his head pleadingly at his grandfather. Draco on the other hand just raised a disapproving eyebrow at him.

Lucius sighed, apparently they didn't want the children to know that their game was up. "Quite remarkable." He finished anticlimactically as he picked up his tea and sipped at it sullenly. They always had to ruin his fun.

The children all slumped in relief, Harry and Draco rolled their eyes at each other, and Hermione and Ron kept looking back forth between them in confusion. There was something they were missing, they could tell.

Narcissa cleared her throat and set down her napkin next to her empty plate. "Are you going to write the Headmistress, Harry?" She ask.

"Yeah." Harry frowned and nodded before folding the letter and handing it back to Teddy. "I'm going to ask her to make an exception for the snakes. I don't think Ruby will be a problem though."

"Can we send Ruby with the letter, Harry?" Teddy asked hopefully.

"Sure." Harry grinned at him and stroked a finger down the ruby bird's head. "She'll get to make her maiden flight all the way to Scotland and back."

Draco snorted in amusement earning himself some disapproving looks from the women at the table. "Perhaps you should wait to write it until after breakfast. Neither of you have finished your pancakes and Claude made them especially for you, Teddy." He said with a teasing admonishment.

The little boy grinned at him and went back to his seat. Harry smirked and followed only to pause mid step when a lightly accented voice echoed from the hall outside of the breakfast room.

"What on earth have they done to this hall?" The cultured, feminine voice shrieked in outrage. "This wallpaper is atrocious! And that tapestry is a travesty."

"Please, Mistress Malfoy! Let me announce you!" A house-elf squeaked frantically as he ran after the woman toward the breakfast room.

"Oh dear lord, Lucius." Narcissa breathed and turned fiery blue eyes on her frozen, horrified husband. "Please tell me that's not who I think it is."

Lucius looked like he'd just been sentenced to Azkaban, again. "Narcissa, I had no-"

The door burst open cutting off whatever plea he was going to beg of his furious wife.

A tall brunette woman dressed in an elegant -expensive- floor length dress with an empire waistline and a brocade emerald green traveling cloak stood in the doorway. She carried a long black cane with a cut crystal topper and a sterling silver foot. Her face was masked in a cold indifference that reminded everyone in the room of a younger, crueler Lucius.

Her hair was done up in a tight twist and held in place with a charmed mother of pearl comb. Her jewelry was all real and all much too delicate to be anything less than exorbitant. The temperature in the room dropped a good five degrees and Lucius actually sank down into his chair seeming to try and make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

"Lucius." The woman called from the doorway in a displeased and thoroughly commanding tone. "Aren't you going to greet your own mother? Or are you too busy with your guests?" She flicked her gray eyes over the syrupy children and the three non-familial adults with barely controlled disdain.

As if compelled, Lucius quickly stood from his seat and strode toward her. "Mother." He greeted formally, taking the hand she offered him and kissing the back lightly before he leaned down an inch and kissed her presented cheek. "I was unaware that you had changed your travel plans."

She sniffed and unclasped her cloak letting it fall to the floor expecting that a house-elf would be there to catch it. One was, of course, and the cloak was quickly whisked away by the frightened shivering creature. They all knew Mistress Cassiopeia Malfoy. They all knew better than to displease her, as well.

"France was boring me." She waved a hand at him, her eyes still studying the tableau at the table. "Besides, why should I owl my own son and ask permission to visit my old home?"

Lucius didn't say anything to that. He just stood before her stiffly. His own mother frightened him in ways that the Dark Lord never could have.

"I see you have neglected to teach my grandson manners while I was in France." She commented blandly.

Draco popped from his seat as if pushed and quickly strode toward her, kissing her cheek lightly. "Grand-mère, I hope your floo travel was satisfactory." He inquired out of obligation.

"No, it was not." Cassiopeia looked him in the eyes, her face unreadable as ever, and harshly beautiful. "It seems that the Manor floo has acquired the habit of spitting soot onto your guests. Fix it."

Fighting the urge to bristle, Draco just nodded to her and turned to catch his son's eye. "Scorpius, you remember Grand-mère. Come and greet her." He said meaningfully.

The little boy got to his feet and reluctantly stepped up to her. She softened the slightest bit and leaned down so that he could reach her cheek. "Hello, Grand-mère." He said politely.

"Well, you are much sweeter than these two." She said and patted his cheek with a tad more condescension than was necessary. "Perhaps you got that from your mother." She looked back up and the little bit of softness that had come over her evaporated like mist.

"Narcissa." She greeted with ice.

"Cassiopeia." Narcissa returned just has frostily. "You seem to make a habit of showing up in my home unannounced." She commented causing a sharp intake of breath from her husband.

Cassiopeia sneered at her. "It was my home before it was yours, my dear. Remember that." She turned her eyes back on the room at large and smoothed her twisted expression. "Who are your guests, Lucius?" She demanded.

Draco spoke up before his father could get his mouth working. "They are actually my guests, Grand-mère." He said then gestured to Ron who stood and nodded to her politely. "This is Ronald Bilius Weasley, his wife Hermione and their children Rose and Hugo." He indicated each one in turn and Cassiopeia's eyes skewered them all before fastening on Harry next.

"And this is Harry James Potter, his godson, Theodore Remus Lupin, and his children, James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna." Harry held the woman's eyes until she broke contact and turned her gaze on each of his children, one at a time.

"Why do I know that name, Harry Potter?" She asked Lucius after she'd turned her eyes back on the messy haired wizard again.

"He is... the Savior." Lucius hedged to explain. "He defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort."

She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in interest. "Wasn't that the wizard you said would rid Wizarding Brittan of the mudbloods and blood-traitors some years ago?" She asked not heeding the confused looks on the children's faces or the angered glint in Harry's eyes.

Lucius stiffened. "Yes, he was, Mother. However, he turned from a revolutionary to a narcissistic sadistic mass murderer rather quickly after his second rise to power."

Cassiopeia sniffed distastefully. "How every plebeian of him." She turned her eyes back on Harry. "You defeated this Dark Lord, did you?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded gravely. "I killed him."

"Hm." She seemed to look down her nose at him like Lucius had the first few time's they'd met and clashed. "Well, Lucius, a Potter, a Weasley, a mudblood, and a whole gaggle of uncouth little children and their pets. Have the Malfoy standards truly sunk so low?" She inquired with a malicious curve of her lips.

"Quite the contrary, Grand-mère." Draco spoke up before all three of the former Golden Trio could finish puffing up in indignation. "Harry is regarded as the literal Savior of the whole Wizarding World. He's the Lord of both the Black and Potter houses and personal friends with the Minister of Magic. As well as a holder of the Order of Merlin, First Class." He stated calmly and with seeming neutrality.

"Ronald is the Deputy Head Auror to the Ministry and a renowned war hero. He also holds the Order of Merlin, First Class. Hermione is the Head of the Department for Magical Creatures at the Ministry and is generally thought to be the most intelligent witch of her age. She was also awarded the Order of Merlin, First class." He turned his sharp gray eyes on his grandmother. He had her undivided attention now.

"And four of that 'gaggle of uncouth little children', as you called them, are mine as much as Harry's. You would do well to watch your tongue in regards to them, Grand-mère, because I will not tolerate any of the children that come into this house being treated as anything less than family." He warned her with such intensity and seriousness that she leaned away from him and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Well, there is no need to become like that, Draco." Cassiopeia looked away then peaked at him from the corner of her eyes, under her eyelashes. "You must forgive an old woman for her bluntness. I cannot help myself these days." She lamented with a manipulative moue.

Draco just held her gaze unwaveringly. "If you ever reach an age of such infirmity that you truly cannot censor yourself, Grand-mère, then I will be obliged to over look it. As for the present, you are no more aged in quickness of mind than I am. I will not be as amenable to forgiving you the next time you choose to speak so unguardedly.

"Now," he bowed his head a fraction, "If you will excuse me. My guests and I have other plans for the remainder of the morning."

Cassiopeia sighed, sounding very put upon, as if she had not just been told off like a child by her grandson. "Yes, very well, Draco. We have had our fun for the morning anyway. I dare say your tongue gets sharper, and your disposition fouler the older you get." She scrunched her nose in a gesture Harry recognized from Draco. "You get that from your mother, no doubt. Well, shoo-shoo, _mon chér_(1). Be off with you. I'm famished and you have eaten most of the food."

She tisked in disapproval and proceeded to ignore everyone around her as if she was off in her own little world.

The Weasleys and the Potters followed Draco out of the room and to the floo where they all flooed to Grimmauld in a bit of a daze.

"Well," Hermione said once the children were all playing outside and the adults were seated at the kitchen table with Raspberry Zinger tea in their cups. "That woman was one of the foulest creatures I have ever encountered."

Draco burst out laughing. "Cassiopeia de Vil Malfoy is certainly something, isn't she?"

"Lucius grew up with that for a mother?" Ron asked incredulously. "No wonder he was such a bastard. No offense." Draco shook his head still completely amused. "She's a right dragon, she is."

"God, Draco, I was this close from pulling my wand on her." Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, not nearly as entertained as the rest of them. "If she is like that all the time I don't think I want my kids near her."

Draco looked at him searchingly for a moment in the silence that had fallen over the kitchen. Finally he nodded and covered one of Harry's hands with his. "She's not always that foul. It's sort of like a game to her. She's wretched to everyone when she firsts steps out of the floo until either my mother or I kick the stick out of her ass. Then she's just mildly unpleasant."

Ron snorted tea up his nose and went into a coughing fit. Hermione just rolled her eyes at him and pounded him on the back.

"She's not nearly as harsh on Scorpius as she is on the rest of us." Draco assured Harry. "She wasn't nearly as abrasive with me when I was a child either. She won't treat the kids badly, now that I've essentially claimed them."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked dubiously.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "She's actually quite fascinating once you get a little tea and whiskey into her."

Ron started coughing and sputtering again. Hermione just sighed and stood from her seat. "I think I'd better get everyone home before Ron drowns in his tea."

The four Weasleys departed and Harry and Draco were left in the kitchen sipping their tea. Harry still looked worried and doubtful.

Sighing, Draco turned to him. "If she really bothers you that much, Harry, then you don't have to come to the Manor while she's there, but she's really only that horrible to Mother after her first day."

Blowing a heavy breath, Harry nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "It's alright, Draco. We'll come visit the Manor again soon, she just took me by surprise."

Draco nodded understandingly and leaned his head against Harry's shoulder in comfort. They listened to the sounds of their kids playing outside until they were ready to start making lunch.

* * *

Cassiopeia de Vil Malfoy sipped her tea in the Manor's solarium and looked around distastefully. She truly did dislike her daughter-in-law.

"It's rather interesting what you've done with this room, Narcissa." She commented, an undercurrent of mockery in her elegant accented voice.

Narcissa glanced over toward the pile of silk pillows and poofs that made up the sitting area the children frequented. "Thank you, Cassiopeia." She replied blandly. "The children often like to sit in here and have a light afternoon snack."

Her mother-in-law sniffed a little at that, but didn't comment further. Like all woman who had mothered a child at one point in her life, she had a soft spot for the eccentricities of youth.

"Those children visit Scorpius often, then?" She inquired neutrally, watching Narcissa out of the corner of her sharp gray eyes.

"Almost everyday." Narcissa smiled serenely back at her, but her eyes had an edge to them. "The children have become quite close over the last few months. They do so enjoy their time here at the Manor." She gushed rather airily.

That tone of voice never failed to catch in Cassiopeia's craw.

"And this Harry Potter is happy enough to impose upon my darling son's hospitality, but to not offer up his own?" She asked with affected lightness and surprise.

Narcissa had to grit her teeth. "Quite the contrary." She simpered back. "Harry loves having Draco and Scorpius over at Grimmauld Place."

Cassiopeia looked like she'd swallowed a fly. "I beg your pardon? Grimmauld Place?" She looked shocked. "The Black ancestral home?"

"The very same." Narcissa nodded calmly. "Harry's godfather was the Black heir and when he died, Harry inherited him." She smiled rather viciously at her. "I believe that Draco mentioned something about it this morning."

The older woman turned away and sniffed. "I do seem to recall something of that sort. So, Harry Potter lives in your ancestral home with his -four?- children? My, his wife must be quite the busy woman."

A displeased frown creased at Narcissa's brow. "James, Albus, and Lily are Harry's by blood." She corrected. "Teddy is Harry's godson."

"Oh, yes." Cassiopeia nodded and smiled falsely. "That's right. How generous of his wife to take in another woman's child. I do assume that young Teddy's parents are dead, yes? Mrs. Potter must be a kind woman."

This conversation had grown tiring and Narcissa decided to drop the act altogether. Cloying platitudinous conversation had never been her forte anyway.

"I do believe that you are asking questions you already know the answer to, Cassiopeia." She said making the other woman flick her eyes toward her sharply. "Harry's ex-wife abandoned their children and ran off with a lover. Since shortly after, Harry and Draco have grown to be friends and are, in fact, seeing each other as more. Do not trifle with my patience and playact ignorance. We both know you read the gossip columns from front to back."

There was a short silence before Cassiopeia seemed to shrug off her insincere, pleasant mask and returned to her arrogant, conceited, viscous self.

"Very well, _ma fille_(2). Have it your way." She flicked some crumbs from her fingers and sipped at her tea wrinkling her nose in distaste once more. "It's been five years since Draco's wife disappeared into obscurity and he now just happens to be _friends _with the Savior? There is more to this, Narcissa."

"You're right, there is." Narcissa stated plainly. "Draco and Harry have known each other since school. They hated each other and if I'm not mistaken tried to kill one another a time or two over the course of their education." She smirked elegantly at her mother-in-law's incredulously raised eyebrow.

"But that was over ten years ago." She continued. "My family has closer ties with Harry Potter than the Wizarding World realizes. When they met up again after Harry's wife left it was hardly the farthest leap that they would end up letting bygones be bygones."

"I am not as weighted by prejudice as my late husband,-" Narcissa hid a snort behind her tea cup, "but it surpises me that you would allow a half-blood blood-traitor to -associate- with your son." Cassiopeia almost sneered. Spiteful old-

"I don't _allow_ anything, Cassiopeia." Narcissa countered. "He is twenty-seven. Draco is free to do as he wishes. As for Harry being a blood-traitor, if it was not for Harry Potter your son would be in Azkaban, your grandson would be dead, your great-grandson would not have even been born, and our entire world would be crumbling down around us."

Her voice rang with finality, making the older woman scowl in frustration and confusion. Pulling a full explination out of Narcissa would be like pulling her beloved Rapier Roses from the ground; painful and bloodletting.

Eventually, she shrugged it all off and waved her hand through the air dismissively. "Very well, Narcissa. Our family owes Harry Potter lives and life-debts. I will play nice. " She said. "The Gaunts never were any good stock. I never understood what Lucius saw in that interloping half-blood of theirs anyway."

Narcissa stared at her, stunned, for a moment before choosing not to comment.

Cassiopeia sipped at her tea seeming completely unaffected by the past few moments of conversation. It was easy to see who Lucius got his intimidation techniques from.

"Harry Potter's children," she started after consuming a cookie, "have been claimed by Draco." She looked her daughter-in-law in the eyes. "Do tell."

Narcissa picked up her tea again and sipped lightly at it. "There is not much to tell. They have fallen in love." She said bluntly. "Draco was taken with them from nearly the very moment they all met. And they seem to be equally smitten."

"How curious." She hummed, looking off toward the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the gardens. "It is normally so difficult to grow close to a child." She commented absently.

Narcissa just watched her from the corner of her eye. That was a Cassiopeia comment if ever she heard one. To anyone other than this woman, it would be entirely too easy to become attached to a child, any child.

"We have discovered that Harry's children are extremely easy to grow attached to." She said lightly.

"I imagine that little girl of his would be, yes." Cassiopeia replied dismissively. "Girls are always the sweetest. It's such a pity I wasn't gifted with any daughters or granddaughters of my own." She gave an affected sigh.

Narcissa clinched her hands in a white-knuckled grip around her tea cup. "Pity." She forced out through her pursed lips.

"Ah, well, _c'est la vie_(3)." She waved a hand in a very french gesture and picked up another cookie to nibble on. "Draco's attachment to Harry Potter is a serious one, then? Considering he invited such people like the Weasleys into our home, I would have to assume that it's so."

"The Weasleys have adopted Harry in a manor of speaking." Narcissa explained neutrally. "Since the end of the war our families' differences have taken a rather significant dive into unimportance."

"I always said such a childish hostility was beneath a Malfoy." Cassiopeia nodded arrogantly.

Narcissa was forced to avert her eyes to keep from rolling them. Honestly, why does Lucius desert her with his devil-woman mother every time the harpy visits? She was going to have to have a little chat with her husband once she finds him.

"They both seem to be serious about their relationship." Narcissa steered the conversation back on point. "They have to be with the children involved."

"Oh, of course." Cassiopeia agreed redundantly. "I take it they have not bonded yet, regardless of their supposed attachment. If there will be more children involved, I should hope they plan on officiating their union." She continued with a haughtiness that Narcissa had never been able to perfect.

"They have not discussed as much that I know of." She replied diplomatically. Her own suspicions aside, she would be very surprised if either young man had even thought about bonding.

"Well, then they had better hurry, hadn't they." Cassiopeia simpered lightly. "Draco is not getting any younger. Should they wish to futhur their lines they had better hurry."

What a polite way to say that her son's biological clock was ticking, Narcissa thought ungenerously. What a wretched woman, she growled internally. How very right she was, she finally admitted.

Matris rarely had children into their thirties. Even with their bodies being made to bear children, a pregnancy on a man was always more difficult. It was advised against conceiving past the age of thirty-five.

Narcissa sipped at her tea. She prayed that her son, should he be- should he _choose _to carry a child would not have the same difficulties she had.

The rest of their afternoon tea was unmemorable and rather bland. Narcissa was thankful for this to the edge of her sanity. Cassiopeia was a trying woman. She'd nearly been a deal breaker when Narcissa and Lucius had been engaged.

Not that Lucius knew that, Narcissa amended wryly. Her poor husband would never be the same if that little tidbit of information got back to him. He was lucky that Narcissa loved him more than she hated his mother.

But wasn't that true for most marriages?

* * *

(1) _mon chéri_ : my dear  
(2) _ma fille_ : my girl  
(3) _c'est la vie_ : that's life

TBC...


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 8,047  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Twenty*****

Harry stood at the kitchen sink, elbow deep in soap suds just listening to his children puttering here and there through the rest of the house. An absent glance out of the kitchen window and he saw a bright red dot coming in fast through the air.

A smirk curled at his lips and he shouted over his shoulder as he pulled his hands from the dishwater to dry them off. "Teddy! Ruby's back!"

There was an excited shout from somewhere up the stairs and a pounding of feet.

Harry just smiled and pushed the kitchen window open as the parrot sailed through it without hesitating. The bird went straight to Teddy as he slid across the slick floor on his socked feet and into the room.

"What's it say? What's it say?" He panted anxiously, looking at Harry with hopeful sky blue eyes and ruby red hair.

Harry chuckled and reached forward to relieve the parrot of her burden. "Let's open it and see." He quickly cracked the seal and unfolded the missive.

Professor McGonagall, as he soon read, was suitably impressed that Teddy was attempting to learn a skill previously thought to be strictly inherited. For propriety's sake, she suggested a trial period for Teddy's snakes to stay with him at Hogwarts. Should he show a marked improvement on his Parseltongue by half-term then he will be allowed to keep the snakes as his animal companions on the grounds provided that none of his curricular studies suffer.

Upon hearing this, Teddy let out an ear splitting hoot and started bouncing up and down, before he suddenly stopped and asked, "But what about Ruby?"

Clearing his throat, Harry turned back to the letter. "Well, let's see."

Considering that Teddy's parrot had indeed successfully delivered her parcel to the right destination, the right recipient, and in a timely fashion, Professor McGonagall saw no reason why she should not be allowed as well. Provided, of course, that she does not prove to be disruptive.

Teddy started laughing excitedly and launched himself at Harry dislodging his parrot from his shoulder. "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you!" He burst out before releasing his stunned guardian and racing back out of the room, Ruby flying more sedately behind him.

"James!" Harry could hear Teddy screaming through the house. "She said I could bring them! She said I could bring them!"

There had been a few times, when Teddy was younger, that he'd called Harry "Dad". Every time it had made Harry ache with love and tenderness. He could never take the place that Remus should have had in Teddy's life, but Harry was thankful that he was loved just as much. He truly loved Teddy as he did his own sons and it made him feel somewhat vindicated to know that Teddy loved him in return.

Teddy had called him "Dad", and to a lesser extent "Daddy", a few times over the last ten years. Mostly when he was a baby and didn't know different, or when he was hurt, scared, sick, or overwhelmed. It hadn't happened often, but every time that it did, Harry held it close to his heart.

Sighing and shaking his head, Harry read over the letter again and figured that it was safe to start planning a trip to Diagon soon. Perhaps Dudley would like to go.

* * *

It had taken a few days, but here they were. Harry stood at the end of the block to the muggle entrance to the Leaky Cauldron with all four of his children, Draco, and Scorpius waiting for Dudley and his family to appear.

A rather large shopping party, Harry thought nervously, but he couldn't leave any of the kids behind when they had all begged so pitifully. He wouldn't have bothered Draco and Scorpius with it either if Teddy hadn't turned amber eyes and magenta hair on him at the last second.

He sighed. Perhaps it won't be so bad. Draco was inordinately good at keeping large numbers of children under control. Maybe he could handle theirs as well as Dudley's whilst in the midst of a crowded shopping district accompanied by the most famous wizard in England.

God, this was going to be a bloody nightmare he just knew it.

"Stop fretting, Potter." Draco drawled next to his ear. "You'll give yourself gray hairs."

Harry sent him a baleful look and went back to watching for the Dursleys.

"I can't believe I'm actually attempting this." He grumbled under his breath watching passersby and keeping an eye on the kids. "And on a bloody Saturday as well. The Alley's going to be packed."

Draco snorted and adjusted his hold on Lily's hand. "I would have told you to reschedule, but I feared mutiny by our dear little angels." He sent a warning glare at James as he looked about to try and wander away. The boy just shrank back toward their group and avoided Draco's eyes.

God, sometimes Draco was the most beautiful man on earth, Harry thought with stars in his eyes. He didn't even have to say a word and even James obeyed him. Marry me! He pleaded in his head.

Jeez, maybe the stress was really getting to him.

Sighing, Harry ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm himself down. He looked back over his family and let himself relax into a small grin.

They were all dressed in muggle clothes since they were meeting Dudley on the muggle side of London. His kids were used to jeans, t-shirts, and sundresses, but it was almost painfully clear that neither Draco nor Scorpius were often this casual.

They didn't stick out, not really, they just looked... really put together. Draco was dressed in a pair of perfectly pressed charcoal gray trousers with a silver gray button down shirt. He looked edible and Harry had to bite his lip to keep from drooling.

Scorpius was dressed much the same. A lighter pair of pressed trousers and a light blue button down shirt. Both Malfoys had long since rolled up their sleeves as the heat on the street started to get to them.

Harry thought they look way too adorable nearly matching as they were. It was very obvious that they were father and son.

Snorting in amusement as he caught Draco shooting covertly curious glances at the newspaper machine not far away, Harry turned his eyes back down the street and spotted his tardy cousin.

"Hey, Dud!" He shouted down the street catching the bigger man's attention.

A smile on his rounded face, Dudley, Marianne, Eddy, and Chrissy made their way towards them.

"Sorry, we're late." Dudley said shaking Harry and Draco's hands in greeting.

Marianne smiled at them and kissed their cheeks. "It was my fault. I have the absolute smallest bladder at the moment. The baby's using it for a pillow." She laughed and it was plain to see that she really didn't mind all that much.

Harry grinned back at her and waved to Eddy and Chrissy as they joined the others standing around them. "Well, are you ready?" He asked.

Dudley glanced around them curiously as if expecting to see the Alley right in front of them. "I guess. Where are we going?"

Draco lifted a hand and pointed to a store front neither he nor Marianne had noticed before. "The Leaky Cauldron." He said with an amused smile.

"Oh my!" Marianne gasped as she held Dudley's hand. "I've been down this street a hundred times and I've never once seen that place!" She exclaimed.

"Well, you wouldn't unless it was specifically pointed out to you." Draco nodded. "It's enchanted so that muggles walk right past it and never even realized there was a fourth store on this block."

"That's amazing!" She said while Dudley just continued to stare at the Leaky's sign in disbelief.

"Come on, then." Harry gestured for them to follow.

Harry and Draco led the way into the Leaky Cauldron followed by all seven children and Dudley and Marianne. The moment the door closed behind them the entire place went deathly quiet. Harry just rolled his eyes and continued on toward the bar where Tom was busy wiping down smoggy mugs with a smoggy looking bar towel.

"Hiya, Harry." The old wizard called as they all approached. "Whatcha doing with them muggles?" He inquired nodding his head toward the wide eyed Dudley and Marianne.

"Hey, Tom." He smiled absently at him. "This is my cousin and his wife. Their children will be going to Hogwarts. I figured I'd help them get used to things."

"Ah." Tom nodded sagely. "Get on with ya' then." He urged gruffly. "Yer blocking the paying customers."

Harry laughed and thanked him before leading the way out the back door and to the little alley dead-end brick wall.

He paused to pull out his wand and Dudley looked around with a frown on his face. "Is this that Diagon Alley we're supposed to be going to?" He asked perplexed. "Am I not seeing something that's there again?" He turned to Harry for the answers.

Draco chuckled and tapped the brick wall with one elegant finger. "This is the door into Diagon Alley." He explained. "Harry's going to open it any minute now and then that will take us into the Alley."

"Oh shut it, you." Harry grumbled lamely. "You know all these bloody bricks look the same."

Finally, he tapped the right combination and the wall started to melt in on itself. There were gasps of surprise from his cousins and hoots of excitement from his children. Yep, this was going to be a long day.

The walk to Gringotts seemed to take twice as long as normal. It was painfully obvious that Dudley was a muggle and all the witches and wizards were determined to stop and stare at Harry and Draco.

He just hoped this little outing didn't end up on the front page of the _Prophet_.

He and Draco had been relatively careful about not being seen in public together, but not by any design. They both just preferred to stay away from crowds and therefore almost never came into Wizarding London if they could help it. Draco didn't much venture far out of his shop and Harry didn't like the gawking crowds.

Finally, they made it to the bank and were asked to wait while Marianne read the rhyme carved into the giant doors.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure here._

"Oh dear." Marianne murmured, her fingertips pressed lightly to her mouth. "They're very serious about their security aren't they?"

"You don't know the half of it." Harry whispered to her. "When we're finished here I'll tell you a story about what exactly you'll find if you don't _take heed_."

She turned to look at him, intrigued, but didn't comment further.

As they walked through the bank towards Griphook's counter, Dudley's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "H-Harry." He stuttered tugging on his sleeve to get his attention. "Those-," he pointed weakly at a pile of jewels a goblin was weighing, "Those are-..."

"Yes, Dudley." Harry drawled in amusement. "Don't stare like that, though." He cautioned. "The goblins get a bit touchy if you stare."

Dudley whimpered, but followed his advice.

"Mr. Potter." Griphook greeted blandly. "What can I help you with?"

Harry smiled at him anyway. "My cousin would like to exchange some money and open a vault." He patted Dudley on the shoulder companionably.

"We do not open vaults for muggles." The goblin said dryly.

Harry nodded in agreement. "Dudley's children will be attending Hogwarts soon. He would like to have a vault for their use when they start school."

Griphook stood on his stool and leaned over his counter until he was peering down at Eddy and Chrissy over his long nose. "I see." He said.

Sitting back on his stool, he turned his stern eyes on Dudley and nodded. "Very well." He pulled out a drawer and hefted a five inch thick stack of papers onto the counter and began flipping through them.

"Opening a vault is not a simple process." He told them. Harry was mildly fascinated seeing as he had never actually opened a vault before. His were all inherited or given to him.

"You must sign these." He slapped a good sized stack of parchment in front of a bewildered Dudley and pushed an inkwell and quill toward him. "Initial, date, and print. Like all of our vaults here at Gringotts it will be passed down through the family. Every wizard and witch that comes after you will be able to withdraw, deposit, and use this vault unless you indicate otherwise."

Dudley's eyes were squinted nearly closed he was concentrating so hard. He nodded and hummed at every thing the little goblin was telling him. Harry would have been more amused if he wasn't trying to listen carefully as well.

"Should a muggle descendant wish to access this vault they must appear with a wizard, specifically family, if they are to be allowed entrance." Griphook peered at Dudley sternly again. "Do you have any questions?"

Dudley shook his head, but Harry spoke up. "Yes, would you please exchange this into gold and allow us to make a deposit this afternoon?"

Griphook looked at the stack of muggle paper money Harry had sat before him and nodded stiffly. "Of course."

He pulled out a velvet money bag like all the wizards carried their gold in and tugged open a different drawer.

Dudley had decided to exchange three hundred and fifty pounds and deposit a thousand and seven-hundred and fifty into the vault for the future. As Harry watched the goblin begin to count out the gold, silver and bronze, he guessed that in the end Dudley would have about seventy galleons for his pocket and three-hundred and fifty galleons for the vault.

It wasn't much and Harry could see that Dudley realized as much when Griphook explained the exchange rate to him. If he knew his cousin at all, he knew that Dudley would be trying to make regular deposits so that his kids would have more by the time Eddy started his first year.

That's part of the reason why Harry had reconnected with him in the first place. After he'd gotten away from his parents and grown up a bit, Dudley had turned out to be fiercely loyal to family and protective of his kids. He reminded Harry a bit like Crabbe and Goyle and how they acted toward Draco during their first few years at Hogwarts.

Loyal as man's best friend and protective to distraction.

Once it was explained that Marianne could not accompany them on the cart down to the vault due to the stress it would put on her and the baby, she was happy enough to stay behind and perch herself on the stool a goblin was kind enough to bring out for her.

"You go on ahead, Dudley." She smiled at her husband. "I'll go and see it once I'm no longer baking our third little bun."

Draco chuckled at that and waved Harry off as well when he looked at him in question. "I'll stay and keep Marianne company." He said.

After the two other men had disappeared with Griphook, Draco glanced around to make sure that their gaggle of ducklings were all still with them. "Well, at least we haven't lost any children yet, but the day isn't over so maybe I'll save my judgment for later." He smirked wryly.

Marianne giggled and rubbed at her belly absently. "This is all so crazy." She said. "I grew up dreaming about a world of magic and lamenting that it wasn't real and now two of my children are going to a magic boarding school and my husband is opening an account at a bank run by goblins." She sighed and looked around seeming to take everything in. "It's almost like a dream."

Draco watched her curiously. "You really thought that magic wasn't real?" He asked.

"Mm." She hummed and linked her fingers underneath her belly as if she was supporting the weight with her hands. "My parents told me fairytales and things when I was a little and I would play make-believe with my brother, but I always knew it wasn't really real." She watched a passing goblin as he carried a pale filled with sapphires and emeralds then shook her head. "Well, as least I thought it wasn't real."

Draco watched her for a moment as she just looked around and watched as their children chattered together. Lily came up and asked if he would braid her hair like Chrissy's, so he crouched down to her level.

"You couldn't have asked for this before we left the house, Lily-flower?" He asked with an amused grin as he parted her hair and began twisting it into a braid.

"I didn't know I wanted it braided before." She answered quite reasonably. "Besides, it's hot."

Shaking his head, Draco just continued to twist until Lily had a thick braid stopping at the bottom of her shoulder blades. He held it together with one hand and conjured a hair-elastic with the other quickly tying the strands off.

"There you are, Lily. Are you satisfied?" He asked with a smirk.

She ran a hand down her hair and turned to grin at him happily. "Thank you, Draco." She said, before she skipped off again to rejoin Chrissy.

"I'm never going to get used to seeing magic like that." Marianne said as Draco straightened up from his crouch.

"That wasn't real magic." Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "There are much more impressive things you can do with magic besides banish soot and conjure a little girl's hair tie."

She just shook her head wryly. "I can't wait until Chrissy and Eddy start being able to do things like that."

Draco smiled at her and was about to say something else when a slight fluttering movement rolled under the skin of Marianne's belly. He gasped in surprise and stared at her round pregnant curve until the rippling happened again.

She caught him staring and smiled kindly at him. "That's the baby moving. It doesn't happen all that often, but sometimes you can see it." She told him. "Would you like to feel?"

Flicking his gray eyes between her smiling face and her enormous belly, Draco slowly nodded and moved closer. She snatched one of his hands and pressed it just to the right of her belly button.

It took a moment, but then Draco felt a little rolling kick against the palm of his hand. "Wow." He breathed, his normal eloquence somewhat lacking. "That's amazing."

She beamed at him. "I know. Dudley can't get enough of feeling my belly. It was the exact same way with Eddy and Chrissy. I would wake up in the morning and he'd be rubbing my belly or talking to it."

Draco quirked an absent smile at that, but his concentration was almost completely on her belly. "I've never felt a baby kick before." He murmured distractedly. The baby kept pushing at his hand as if he knew it was there.

Marianne frowned a little at that and glanced briefly at Scorpius where he had his head pressed together with Albus and seemed to be discussing something very important.

"Did Scorpius not kick much in the womb?" She asked curiously then almost instantly regretted it. Draco's face lost almost all of its liveliness and seemed to shut down.

"I don't know." He said. "My ex-wife was not a graceful carrying mother. She refused to let anyone touch her stomach."

"Oh." She murmured sadly. "I'm sorry."

He seemed to push away his past with a mere flick of his hand through the air and was once again the lighter version of himself that she was getting to know. "It's alright. I'm just glad that Scorpius was born healthy. I can live with not having felt him move in the womb for that."

She nodded understandingly and gave him a small smile. "Still it's an amazing thing to feel. From both sides."

Draco paused and turned back to look at her. A niggling thought, a question tugged at him. "How does it feel?" He asked suddenly. "When he's kicking like that?"

Marianne didn't seem to notice his intensity as she smiled brightly with a bit of humor. "Sometimes it feels like a jab to the kidneys, bladder, lungs; all my internal organs really. And sometimes it just feels like pressure, and fluttering." She frowned in thought and tapped her chin absently. "It's kind of hard to explain, but it's amazing." She beamed again.

Draco smiled back. "I can imagine." And he could. He had, many times when the fantasy of having more children had not seemed so far off. When Scorpius was a baby and Astoria had just been kicked to the curb, he had laid awake some nights and imagined how it would have felt had he carried Scorpius instead of her. How incredible it must have been to feel him moving and growing.

That had been a long time ago, though. Now he hadn't put much thought to it past the contraceptive spell he casts when he and Harry make love.

He wouldn't mind having more children with Harry, he thought with a distracted tilt of his head. The thought actually brought a longing ache to his chest. They'd both said they would like to have more children beyond the five they already had.

He snorted. Maybe they were both crazy for wanting _more_, but Draco would eventually love to have Harry's children, as trite as that sounds.

"What are you laughing about?" A smirking Harry asked as he and Dudley rejoined them in the bank proper.

Draco shook his head and in a rare public display of affection, leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Nothing. All done?" He asked and glanced between a now grinning Harry and still wide eyed and dazed Dudley.

"Yep." Harry said and pressed a hand to Draco's lower back a bit possessively. "Let's get the actual shopping over with."

Diagon Alley wasn't all _that_ crowded, just unpleasantly so. They all got jostled around and Marianne kept a firm hold on one of the men the whole time. The kids loved it though.

Draco was forever shouting at one or the other to stay in sight, not to wander, and to "get your butt back here!" Eddy and Chrissy were not immune to his watchful eyes and sharp tongue.

"Edward, kindly don't touch that. Those have a habit of trying to eat your fingernails."

"Chrissy, sweetie, that's a sterling silver plated cauldron. Please, put it back on the shelf."

And of course there was the tongue lashing he gave James in Slug & Jiggers.

"James Sirius Potter! Under no circumstances is it advisable to ingest anything in an apothecary! I don't care if Albus dared you. You are not to indulge him!"

Marianne and Dudley, despite being cautioned not to start grabbing things off of shelves that they did not definitely understand were enjoying themselves immensely. There was so much to see and so many questions they wanted answered.

Finally, Draco suggested that while they were in Flourish & Blotts picking up Teddy's text books they should also pick up a magical culture reference book, _A History of Magic_, _Magical Theory_, and _Hogwarts: A History_ for Dudley and Marianne to read themselves.

"Perhaps a magical tradition encyclopedia as well." Draco had suggested dryly as they stepped into the book store. "You should pick one up as well, Harry. Even after seventeen years in the magical world you're still woefully lacking on your perfunctory knowledge."

Harry had just rolled his eyes and snagged two copies of _Traditional Traditions of Magical Society_.

As Harry and Dudley made it up to the register with their purchases Draco noticed that Marianne was starting to wane.

"Harry, I think it would be a good idea if I take Marianne to Fortescue's while you and Dudley take the kids to Ollivander's." He murmured lowly when Harry walked up beside him as they were leaving the store.

"Why?" Harry asked concerned. "Is she not feeling well?" He flicked worried eyes on his pregnant cousin.

Draco shook his head and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "I think this is just getting to be a little much for her."

Harry nodded. "Alright. We'll meet you at Fortescue's after Teddy gets his wand."

Draco quickly wrapped one of Marianne's arms around his and gave the children one final warning to be good for Harry and Dudley before steering the pregnant woman at a calm pace across the Alley and toward the brightly lit ice cream parlor.

"I'm glad you suggested this." Marianne said as Draco pulled out a chair for her at one of the patio tables. "I didn't realize quite how tired I was getting."

"That's alright. All this could get a bit overwhelming if you're not used to it." Draco smiled kindly at her.

"Whew." She chuckled when she was finally able to sit down. "Ooh. Those sundaes look wonderful." She moaned, eying the ice cream cone a young teenager was working on devouring.

"I'm feeling a little like one myself." Draco conceded and rubbed at his suddenly growling belly. He had a real craving for a Double Stacked Gourd Lover with chocolate sauce and sprinkles.

Marianne told him what she wanted and he went up to the counter to order. When he returned Marianne's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Which one's mine?" She asked. Both sundaes looked utterly ridiculous with all the add-ons. Sprinkles, chocolate sauce, jelly slugs, crumbled palmier, sliced strawberries, and one even had dried pumpkin seeds.

"Oh! This one." Draco handed her the three scoops of raspberry, fudge, and butterscotch with chocolate sauce and sprinkles.

She took a spoonful of hers and immediately fell in love. A pregnant woman's heaven, this place was. A furtive glance at Draco's sundae proved it to be the stranger of the two.

He had four scoops of pumpkin, French vanilla, black cherry, and chocolate-chocolate fudge. She raised her eyebrow incredulously as she noted his toppings. Chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, sprinkles, jelly slugs, crumbled palmier, sliced strawberries, pumpkin seeds, and a few shavings of milk chocolate.

"Wow, Draco. That's the most amazing sundae I have ever seen." She breathed and took another bite of her own.

Glancing back at her from where he'd been watching the passersby, Draco shrugged. "I've been having the strangest cravings lately and this," he gestured to his monstrosity of an ice cream cone, "is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted."

Marianne burst out laughing and took another spoonful of her ice cream. "That reminds me of some of my more terrifying cravings."

He glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She leaned back and rubbed her belly meaningfully. "When I was pregnant with Eddy I couldn't get enough of pickles and mustard. It was strangest thing. And poor Dudley- I demanded that he buy me a jar of kimchi once a week from the Asian grocers down the street. I was addicted to the stuff."

"God, that actually sounds good right about now." Draco moaned and laughed along with her.

A sudden yawn made Draco's jaw pop and he blinked, just feeling the exhaustion a day in Diagon can force on you. "I'm sorry." He held a hand up to cover his mouth. "I didn't realize all this shopping had gotten to me. I bet it was the kids more than the shopping though." He grinned at her.

Marianne giggled with him and nodded. "I know. Once Eddy hit his terribly twos I just left him at home with Dudley if I was going to go shopping. Of course when I got pregnant with Chrissy it was near impossible to last more than a couple of hours without nearly falling over from exhaustion those first few months."

Something niggled in the back of Draco's mind and his frowned a little, listlessly stabbing at his ice cream with his spoon. "It was really that bad?" He asked.

"Oh, it wasn't horrible." Marianne waved her hand lightly. "I just got tired quicker, had to pee all the time, and had the weirdest cravings. Not to mention," she added not noticing Draco's completely stricken look, "that I was near constantly hungry and very sensitive to any strong smell."

Draco's mind was whirling almost faster than he could comprehend.

Frequent urination, food cravings, exhaustion, increased appetite, sensitivity to smell... Oh sweet merciful heaven.

A sudden dizzy wave hit him and he had to lean back in his chair and close his eyes to keep from going face first into his sundae. It couldn't possibly be possible! He thought, not paying mind to his redundancy. He couldn't be-... it wasn't-... they'd used contraceptive spells!

A flickering of memory, not paid much mind to at the time, now seemed like an obnoxiously blatant omen.

_...She pointed out that 'when we have sex she gets pregnant'...That's what contraceptive spells are for...all three of our children were 'surprises'... All three of them?... Yep. All three of them..._(1)

Oh my God. He couldn't think for a moment after that little tidbit of information had filtered back through his brain. He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or cry.

A gentle hand on his arm shocked him from his inner turmoil. Opening his eyes, he saw Marianne looking at him with concern.

"Draco, are you alright?" She asked.

Clearing his throat, he pushed the last bit of his panic to the back of his mind for now and gave her a tremulous smile. "Yes, I'm alright. The heat is just getting to me a bit."

Marianne nodded in understanding and pulled her hand back. "Eat more of your ice cream. It should cool you down."

Right, he thought sarcastically as he once again dug into his beast of a sundae. For now he wouldn't think about it, but later, when he was at the Manor and could sit by himself he would really think about _it_.

Stepping into Ollivanders brought back memories that Harry cherished. Ollivander himself was puttering around behind the counter and turned at the sound of the bell above the door.

"Ah, Mr. Potter." He smiled and turned to completely face his customers. "Still with your holly and phoenix feather?"

Harry nodded and smiled back at him. "Yeah. I still have it." He pulled his wand out to show the old man.

Ollivander gently took the wand from his hands and sighed like an artist seeing one of their masterpieces after a long separation. "A good wand, Mr. Potter. A very good wand."

A smile tugged at Harry's lips and he nodded. "I know. Thank you."

The old wand maker handed his wand back and seemed to come out of a rather pleasant daydream. He looked past Harry to the children and muggle standing in his shop.

"A new wand for school, then?" He asked, eying Teddy speculatively.

Teddy stepped forward with an excited grin on his face and his hair a bright gold, the same gold of the peeling letters on Ollivander's sign. "Yes, sir. I'm starting Hogwarts in September."

Ollivander raised an eyebrow at him, his lips twitching. "Of course, you are." He said before he snatched his tape measure up from the counter top and came around to stand in front of the little boy.

The older wizard measured Teddy's arms, hand, left leg, and his nose. Harry didn't remember quite that much measuring from when he got a wand, but then he saw the fascinated looks all the children and Dudley were watching the scene with and the mischievous glint in Ollivander's eyes as he cast furtive glances toward them.

Shaking his head, Harry decided he wouldn't spoil anyone's fun and draw attention to the oddity of it.

Ollivander straightened up and peered down at Teddy speculatively for a moment, taking in his gold hair and his plum purple eyes. Teddy watched him back seeming more intrigued than nervous.

Harry smiled at that.

"A Metamorphmagus, eh?" Ollivander hummed to himself.

"Yes, sir." Teddy grinned and morphed into what could be one of Ollivander's great-great-grandchildren.

The old wand maker raised an amused eyebrow at him. "Let's see you do red." He challenged with a smirk.

Harry didn't understand how that would affect Teddy's wand, but he let the little display continue. He didn't know that much about wands and Teddy seemed to be enjoying himself.

A look of intense concentration flitted over the boy's face as he morphed his entire body, hair, skin, eyes and all, a deep ruby red. Harry had never seen him do anything like it.

Teddy glanced down at himself when he was done and just grinned all the wider.

"You needn't have gone quite that far, Mr. Lupin." Ollivander smirked down at him.

He just shrugged at him, eyes still completely red and smiling. "You didn't specify what you wanted red, sir."

Ollivander shot him a knowing look and in quick succession requested several different morphs watching each one with a close, studying eye. Maybe it did have an affect on Teddy's wand, Harry thought after watching a little worriedly.

Finally, Ollivander seemed satisfied and Teddy morphed into the body he was born with. Mousy brown hair and warm amber eyes. He bent over, supporting himself on his knees and took a couple of deep breaths.

Harry stepped closer and put a hand on his back worriedly. "Are you alright, Teddy?"

Teddy glanced up at him from beneath his brown bangs and nodded. "Yeah. Just tired."

Rubbing a hand comfortingly down the boy's back, Harry nodded and waited for him to regain his balance before stepping away again. He didn't say anything about the wand maker exhausting his child, but he did send the man a warning glare.

Ollivander raised his hands in a supplicating manner before turning away from them altogether and wandering down his stacks and shelves and cases of wands.

"Now, let's see..." He mumbled to himself even though his words seemed to echo through the whole store. Dudley and the other children seemed to be holding their breath, Harry and Teddy couldn't help, but do it as well.

"Mm-mm-mm." He hummed as he seemed to pop from one end of the store to the other just muttering to himself. "Let's see, let's see. Hm, now you, Mr. Harry Potter, have a holly, eleven inches, phoenix feather. Draco Malfoy has a hawthorn, ten inches, unicorn hair. Ah, such an interestingly dichotomous wand that one is. Not all one or the other, as I remember." Ollivander chuckled to himself as if he'd just said something mildly amusing.

Harry was completely bemused and confused. What did his and Draco's wands have to do with Teddy's? Maybe the old man was just reminiscing. It didn't feel quite like that, though.

"Tsk. Remus Lupin, such a fine wand that one. Willow, hm-yes, and hippogriff feather. Now Nymphadora Tonks, what an interesting wand, indeed. Elm and werewolf hair. Fascinating." He continued to mutter this time more under his breath.

Suddenly, he popped back in front of them again with a veritable mountain of wand boxes in front of him.

He set them on the counter and beckoned Teddy closer before he snatched a box from the middle of the pile and passed the wand over. "Ash, twelve inches, unicorn hair." He said and waited for Teddy to wave it around.

And when he did Ollivander sighed and took the wand back without a word.

"Is it supposed to spark like what the kids did with your wand?" Dudley asked quietly as they watched Teddy try wand after wand.

"What generally happens when a wand chooses you is you feel a wave of warmth go up your arm and maybe some sparks." Harry explained, his eyes still trained on Teddy and the growing pile of discarded wands. "It's really different for everyone, though."

Ollivander's whole pile of pulled wands was discarded summarily and the older man disappeared back into the stacks for some more.

"Dad?" Teddy asked quietly, a slightly worried frown on his face, hair still mousy brown.

"You're doing fine, Teddy." Harry smiled at him reassuringly. "It took me close to a hundred wands to find mine."

That seemed to cheer him up a bit and the tips of his hair went a little pink.

Dudley sneaked closer to the pile of wands and peered at them closely. They were so strange looking. None of them actually looked like magical sticks. They looked magical for sure, but they were all so different.

Some had knots in them, or twists and curves. Some were veined and carved and decorated. A few had what seemed to be hand grips and a few didn't.

Dudley was utterly fascinated.

He reached for one with a bit of a notch in the shaft and quickly found it snatched out from under his hand.

Ollivander peered down at him over his spectacles. "I would not touch those, if I were you." He warned, making Dudley pale and jump away from the pile hastily.

Turning back to his customer, Ollivander unloaded another pile of boxes and plucked one from the top. "Oak, dragon heartstring, nine and a half inches. Try it! Try it!" He urged watching closely with unblinking eyes.

Teddy's quickly picked it up and just as quickly looked like he was going to throw up. His hair went from mousy to a sickly shade of green. It was alarming.

"Oh, no! Definitely not that one." Ollivander took the wand back and Teddy looked relieved if a little more drained. Harry was getting anxious.

At least the other kids were finding this entertaining, he thought as he looked over to see them watching with undisguised fascination.

It seemed like twenty or thirty more wands went by and none of them did anything for Teddy besides exhaust and frustrate him.

"Which wand, which wand?" Ollivander had started chanting under his breath with each newly rejection.

Teddy sighed dejectedly and was about to pick up another one when Ollivander suddenly jumped up. "Wait! Wait! Not that one. I think I know just the one..." He trailed off as he disappeared again.

The air grew thick and Harry stepped closer to his godson. There was something anticipatory about the way the shop felt at that moment. It almost seemed that the wands could feel it too.

Ollivander reappeared carrying an extremely dusty box with an unreadable expression on his face. He stepped up to Teddy and opened the box for him, not touching the wand inside. Teddy stared at it for a moment, before looking back at the wand maker in confusion.

The wand was dark and a bit twisty all the way through the shaft. It tapered down to a point and had a thick twist where it was to be gripped. With a light shot of almost silver veining through the wand wood it looked completely _wicked_.

"Hawthorn, eleven inches, fire salamander skin." Ollivander said with an air of hush. "Pick it up, boy."

Teddy haltingly reached into the box and lifted it slowly from its velvet bed. The change was immediate. His face lit up and his hair burst into a fiery red based with blue like the flames in a log fire. He let out a delighted laugh and quickly swished the wand through the air sending a wide arc of orange fire from the wand's end.

"Shit!" Dudley cursed under his breath in complete awe.

Harry was in awe himself. This was the wand for Teddy, that much was for certain, but it was so very unusual. He'd never heard of fire salamander being used for a wand before.

"Very good, Mr. Lupin!" Ollivander cheered. "Very good, indeed. How very strange." He said, all in the same breath.

Harry cast him a questioning look as Ollivander politely took the wand from Teddy and replaced it in the box before wrapping it in brown paper. "This wand is one of a kind." He said more to himself than to anyone else. "Of course, all wands are one of a kind, but this wand in particular is one of _its_ kind. Never before has a wand, to my knowledge, been made with a fire salamander skin."

"What does that mean exactly, about this wand?" Harry asked suspiciously.

Ollivander just shrugged with a mischievous glint in his clear silvery eyes. "We shall see, won't we?"

Not comforting, Harry thought, but just seeing the excited look on Teddy's face as he regaled the other children with an explanation of how the wand felt kept him from saying anything more.

They stepped out of Ollivander's with excitement, relief, and Teddy's wand. Now, that the awe of having found his wand had worn off some, Teddy was once again slumping and mousy brown. It made Harry worry.

"Hey, little Moony." He said, wrapping an arm around Teddy's shoulders as they made their way back toward Fortescue's. "Are you feeling alright?"

Teddy yawned wide and long before flashing him a wane smile. "Yeah, 'm alright, Harry. Just tired. I didn't know trying out wands was that much work."

Harry smiled back him and hid his worry.

Draco looked up from scraping the last little bits of chocolate sauce from his sundae cup and frowned. The group looked like it should, excited, chatty, energetic and satisfied. Except for Harry and Teddy.

The sight of Teddy's completely uncolorful appearance and visible exhaustion made him stand from his seat and close the distance between them quickly. He barely registered Dudley walking up to his wife with his kids and telling her in very vivid detail everything they'd seen.

"What happened?" He asked as he bent over pressing a hand to Teddy's forehead and combing soothing fingers through the little boy's hair.

"Ollivander made him morph quite a bit." Harry explained quietly as Draco continued to look Teddy over and brush his hair away from his tired face. "Then some of the wands he tried out had rather unpleasant affects on him."

Draco made an unhappy sound and straightened up, but kept a reassuring hand on Teddy's shoulder. "Did he find a wand?"

Harry smirked wryly and nodded lifting the paper wrapped wand box for him to see. "Yep. A rather interesting wand actually."

"It's got a fire salamander core." Teddy said with a happy, but tired grin.

Draco raised an eyebrow at that. "Fire salamander?" He glanced at Harry.

"Yep. Apparently it's 'one of its kind'." Harry explained, sounding a bit perturbed. "Ollivander said that he's never heard of another wand being made with fire salamander skin."

He looked back down at Teddy with a suitably impressed expression on his face. "That's pretty amazing. You'll have to show me a bit of magic later when we get back to the Manor." Draco said with a smile.

"But I'm not allowed to do magic with my own wand yet." Teddy reminded him, a small frown on his face.

A mischievous glint lit up Draco's silver gray eyes and he smirked. "Ah, well. You're not allowed if the Ministry catches you."

"Draco." Harry murmured warningly.

He just waved off his scowling lover with a negligent hand. "Don't get all worked up, Potter." Draco grinned at him and winked at an equally grinning Teddy. "The Manor is perfectly safe for a little underage magic."

Looking between Teddy's eager smile and Draco's sparkling eyes, Harry just sighed and ran a hand through his hair in defeat. He knew he was going to lose anyway.

The Potters and Malfoys walked the Dursleys back out into muggle London and to the end of the block where they had parked their car. As they were saying goodbye, Marianne hugged Draco and smiled at him.

"We should get ice cream together again." She grinned and rubbed at her belly. Draco just fought for his panic not to break through his smile. "I've never eaten it with anyone who gets a sundae crazier than mine. It was a nice change."

"We'll do that." He agreed and soon it was just him, Harry, and their children.

"Ready to go back to the Manor?" Harry asked and began steering them back toward the Leaky where they planned to floo back.

Draco gave him a tired smile and nodded, suppressing a yawn. "Yes. This school shopping has taken a lot out of me."

"Me too!" Lily chimed in before snagging Draco's hand and leaning her head against the back of it.

"Oh, is my Lily-flower tired?" He asked exaggeratedly.

Lily for her part started to actually drag her feet and pout. "Yes."

Draco sighed as if very put upon and reached down to pick her up. "Fine, I'll carry you."

She beamed and curled her arms around his neck laying her head on his shoulder.

Harry just watched, a warm feeling exploding in his chest. This was his family, he thought softly to himself. This was his real family. He could feel it.

* * *

Back at the Manor, Draco watched Harry chase the children around the gardens in the evening light as Teddy slept with his head on his lap.

"Was choosing a wand tiring?" Andromeda asked, watching Teddy's sleeping face with sympathetic eyes.

Draco turned to look at her then glanced down at the little boy lying in his lap and gently stroked his mousy brown hair away from his face. "Harry said Ollivander made him morph quite a bit." He answered, the quietly conversing voices of his parents and Grand-mère floating through the air with the children's laughter.

Andromeda hummed and sipped at her glass of scotch. "The flow of the magic through a Metamorphmagus can affect how the wands channel it." She explained. "Nymphedora was exhausted after choosing her wand, as well. Ollivander has to observe their morphing before he can make a determination on which wands won't drain them."

"Ah." Draco nodded with understanding. "Harry did mention that several of the wands seemed to have an adverse affect on him."

"I'm sure they did." She agreed. "My Nymphedora actually vomited in the middle of Ollivander's after trying one particular wand."

Draco snorted in amusement. "Teddy wasn't affected quite that badly, but he was very drawn and pale when they finished." His fingers continued to comb through the sleeping boy's hair soothingly as he made a sleepy sound and curled closer to Draco's warmth.

Andromeda watched them both for a moment, taking in Draco's familiarity with her grandson and the obvious comfort Teddy was taking in his nearness.

"You love them, don't you?" She asked quietly into the evening air.

Flicking his eyes toward the older woman, Draco remained silent for a moment. "Yes." He finally answered unwaveringly. "I love them all, very much."

How very true that statement was. Draco felt a keen love and protectiveness for every single one of them. Teddy, James, Albus, and Lily. He loved them like he'd only ever loved Scorpius before.

And he loved Harry. More than he'd ever expected.

"You'll not be letting them go any time soon, then." Andromeda commented knowingly. "That's the Black in you." She continued when Draco met her gaze questioningly. "You'll hold onto them until they hold you right back." She said grinning wryly and sipped her drink. "Though I don't think you'll have a problem there. By the looks of it, they couldn't be dragged away from you with a team of wild thestrals."

Draco felt a painful surge of warmth well up in his heart and hoped with all his being that she was right. He looked back out at the garden and just let the warm evening air sooth his thoughts and the sound of laughter and joy sooth his heart.

* * *

(1) Excerpt from Chapter Twelve.

TBC...


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 6,228  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

*****Chapter Twenty-One*****

Draco spent the next few days after his surprising semi-revelation in Fortescue's trying to forget he ever had it to begin with.

It wasn't that he was unhappy with the idea that he was... It was just that he was- a little panicked about it. They'd done everything right. Contraceptive spells are as near to fool proof as you can get.

He scoffed to himself and sipped at his Zinger tea. They may be _fool_ proof, but apparently they weren't Potter proof. Honestly.

Another thing he really did not particularly want to think about was what he was going to do. If his suspicions were correct, then that was it. He would do everything in his power to make sure that nothing went wrong, that everything was perfect, or as perfect as a thing like this could be, and he would... love the child like he loved Scorpius… and Albus, and James, and Teddy, and Lily.

What would Harry say, though? What would he do? Or think?

"Ah, _mon petit chou_ (1)." A lilting accented voice said from just behind him. "Do you mind if I join you for a cup of tea?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Draco flashed one of his most charming smiles at his Grand-mère. "Not at all." He said, gesturing to the free chair beside him. "Have a seat."

Cassiopeia seated herself primly and called up a house-elf for another tea cup before she poured herself some tea and looked at it with a raised eyebrow. "Is this a new English tea they have yet to introduce on the continent?" She asked loftily as she sipped at the dark red drink.

Draco snorted and sipped at his own, a mischievous glint in his eye. "No, Grand-mère. It's a muggle bag tea."

It was absolutely perfect. Right on cue, Cassiopeia's face grew bright red and she promptly spit her mouthful out, spraying the paved stone of the patio with tea.

He refrained from laughing, but only just. Being the perfect gentlemen that he was, he handed her a linen napkin and didn't say a word.

Cassiopeia sent him a baleful look as she dabbed delicately at her lips. "You could have warned me, Draco."

"I apologize, Grand-mère. Had I known you would react like that, I would have." _Not_. He finished silently with a little bit of vindictive pleasure. It was a game they played. He'd won this round, but he was sure she'd win the next.

She huffed and straightened in her chair setting the red stained linen napkin down on the wrought-iron table and calling for another _non_-muggle pot of tea to be brought out. "How can you drink that swill, Draco?" She asked, with an edge of condescension. "It's revolting. Terrible creatures, muggles."

Draco just sat back in his chair and sipped at his tea. He'd been craving it and he hadn't known why. Now he did.

"I like the taste." He answered, discretion always being the better part of valor. "Harry introduced me to it."

"Ah." She said as if that explained everything. "Narcissa tells me you're sleeping with him. It's serious, then?"

Draco shot her a look. Not only would his mother never say a thing like that, he knew that Cassiopeia knew damned well that it was serious. She'd always liked to shock, but she'd underestimated his frame of mind. He wasn't going to let her shock him.

"I doubt Mother said anything of the sort." He drawled, a curl of amusement in his voice. "And you know that I would hardly lay claim on his children if it wasn't frightfully serious." He could play flowery prose if he wanted. And right now, with this -weight- pressing on his mind, he wanted dearly to vent his panic on someone.

Too bad he picked his Grand-mère for the job.

"So, you're going to bond with him, then?" She inquired neutrally, but her shark-like triumph still showed through.

That stopped him cold. He hadn't even thought about bonding with Harry. The thought should frighten him, terrify him, make him run screaming, or take a step back, or even have a second thought, but it didn't. It just made him ache a little more.

The idea just made him _want_.

Want Harry and Teddy and James and Albus and Lily. Want them for his family with Scorpius, and his mother and father. Want those smiles, and that laughter, and those tears that they all promised him if he and Harry succeeded in growing old together.

And if he was-, he sipped at his tea to settle the sudden nausea that welled up, then he wanted Harry to be there, wanted his children to be there as well.

God, how he wanted it.

"We haven't discussed it." He answered with glaringly fake nonchalance. "We've not been in a relationship quite that long yet." And wasn't that the truth.

But, he guessed it was somewhat of a moot point now.

"Nonsense." Cassiopeia waved a dismissive hand at him. "No relationship is ever too new to discuss such things." She sipped at her tea. "Your grandfather asked me to bond with him three days after we met."

And look at what he ended up with, Draco thought cynically. That wasn't right, though. Abraxas had loved his wife to distraction. God only knows why, her being the harpy that she is. She loved him as well, though. His death had been very hard her.

"Perhaps that is how you and Grandfather preferred it, but Harry and I have had a rather long and combative relationship before now. We were by no means friends and on opposite sides of a war." He reminded her, because he knew that she remembered perfectly well. But a conversation with his Grand-mère could never be straight forward. That was how she liked it.

"Even so, _mon cher_. He seems like quite the catch." She commented airily, her eyes keen and watchful. He knew nothing good would come of this. "He seems like a wonderful father. You should want to claim him before you are too far along."

Draco had the most horrid feeling of being both breathless and nauseous at the same time. "I don't know what you mean?" He replied with as much calm aloofness as he could muster.

She just grinned. "Do not play with me, _mon chéri_. I was not born yesterday and I have been a mother much longer than you have been a father. Did you think I would not notice?" She asked sounding genuine for once in her life, genuinely curious though it may be.

"How can you have noticed something that I have not?" He asked hedging around, but not really answering her question. It was much easier than actually forcing himself to say the words, or even think them.

"Mustard on pancakes?" Cassiopeia looked at him with an incredulously raised eyebrow. "Horrid muggle tea from a bag? I think you excused yourself four times to the _toilette_ last evening, as well."

She leaned across the table towards him, her eyes softening as she raised an elegant hand to cup his cheek. "You're pale and exhausted." A real smile curved beautifully on her perfectly painted lips as she murmured softly, almost tenderly, "And yet you glow."

His breath caught and he fought for control of himself. "Grand-mère." He whispered, voice strained and throat tight.

"You did not know?" She asked, but she knew the answer.

He tilted his head, her hand never leaving his cheek. It lent him comfort. "I didn't even _think_ until a few days ago."

"Does he know?" She asked, her voice hushed. It felt like a moment for whispers and secrets. Of course that's partly what it was.

"That I might be-" He cut himself off and took a deep steadying breath. "No. But he knows that I can."

She nodded and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear before leaning back in her chair. "You have not been to see a Healer." She said.

"No." He sighed and leaned back in his own chair, not even daring to drink more of his tea. His stomach was churning much too much for it.

Cassiopeia looked at her grandson and saw his exhaustion, his fear, his hope. She was not a nice woman by nature and had married a much nicer man. But when it came to her Lucius and his Draco, and his Scorpius, she was able to find that little spring of kindness inside her and drink from it.

She stood from her seat and stepped over to him stroking a hand through his silvery hair. "You must know for sure, Draco." She murmured gently to him. "Once you know, it will not seem so scary." She cradled his face in her hands and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before she released him and walked back into the Manor.

Draco just sat in his chair and stared out over the gardens knowing that she was right and that the time for ignorance and denial was past.

* * *

Albus sat in the grass in the backyard of Grimmauld place staring up at the night sky. It had been a while since he'd looked at the stars. They were pretty; he hadn't remembered quite how pretty they were.

Glancing over, Albus smiled a little as Scorpius sprawled out on his back and tucked his hands behind his head.

"Where's Scorpius?" He asked suddenly, lying down next to his friend.

The other boy turned his head slightly and flashed him a smile before looking back up at the sky and pointing at a curve of stars. "That's the tail and those are the pincers, see?"

Albus squinted up at the stars and tilted his head. "Yeah, I see it. That's cool." He flicked his eyes over to the blond boy and felt a small smile bend at his lips. "Do you know all the constellations?"

"Yeah." Scorpius smiled a little wistfully. "My dad used to take me out at night and show them to me."

Albus watched him for a moment before asking, "Doesn't he still do that?"

He shrugged. "We didn't do it all that often." He said, then turned to look at Albus and grinned. "Besides, I would like to have you all there next time."

"Really?" Albus asked, excitement and happiness building up in his chest. Scorpius was his best friend. It meant a lot to him that he wanted to share something special like that with him.

"Yeah." Scorpius smiled at him and turned back to continue looking up at the sky. "I want Dad to show you guys Draco, and Scorpius, and Orion, Leo, and Ursa Major too."

Albus couldn't help the silly grin that split his face at that. "There's a constellation for your dad, too?"

"Mm. It was a family tradition for the Blacks." Scorpius explained. "My grandmama was the only one in her family that was named after something different."

"That's pretty cool." Albus smiled.

They lay quietly for a time just watching the stars and moon. Albus listened to his siblings playing around them and the sound of their fathers' voices drifting toward them from the other end of the yard.

Tilting his head back until he could see them, he watched Draco sip at his mug of tea and his dad laugh at something he'd said. They seemed happy and relaxed.

"Do you think they're in love yet?" He asked distractedly still watching them upside down.

Scorpius rolled onto his stomach and looked at their dads too. "I think so. I've never seen my dad smile so much and Harry's always laughing. Besides, their always kissing each other too." He scrunched his nose in mild disgust. "They have to be in love."

Albus smiled and rolled onto his side so he could see their dads and Scorpius. "Do you think they'll get married?"

A guarded, reluctant expression flitted over Scorpius's face. "I don't know. My dad was married to my mother before."

"My dad was married to my mum, too." Albus said with a small frown. He didn't quite understand what had made Scorpius react like that. "Why would that make a difference?"

Scorpius shrugged and pulled a few blades of grass up from the ground, not meeting Albus's eyes. "My mother didn't really want me. That's why they divorced. Do you think anything will change if Dad and Harry get married?"

Albus felt his chest ache for his friend. "I don't think it will change." He said reaching over and grasping one of Scorpius's hands in his. "Dad still wants us even though mum left and your dad still wants you." He said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I know." Scorpius flashed him a wane smile before it melted away. "But do you think your dad will still like me if they get married?"

The ache in his chest grew impossibly more painful and he leaned over to wrap an arm around Scorpius's shoulders. "Dad will still like you, no matter what. I promise."

Scorpius leaned into him and sighed. It was a fear of his that one day his dad would realize that he didn't really like him and leave like his mother had. He'd thought he'd mostly gotten over it, but now he had a new person to fear rejection from. Several new people.

He didn't think he would be able to take it if Harry and Albus and James and Lily and Teddy decided that they didn't really like him. He'd been lonely for so long. The thought of going back to that made him want to cry.

But boys don't cry. Or, at least, they don't cry as much as girls, so he just squeezed Albus's hand thankfully and rolled onto his back so they could continue to watch the stars.

Albus knew that Scorpius wasn't completely convinced, so he just continued to hold his hand and tilted his head so that it was resting against Scorpius's shoulder. "_I'll_ always like you, Scorpius." He glanced up and smiled at his best friend. "I promise."

Scorpius felt a lightening in his heart and smiled back. Right now, he didn't have anything to worry about. Right now, everything was perfect.

* * *

Harry couldn't take his eyes off of Draco. It was starting to get a little disconcerting. The moon was full and practically made Draco glow in its light.

His hair looked softer, brighter, his skin almost luminescent, and his eyes practically shone with happiness. He was absolutely beautiful.

Draco glanced at him distractedly, a small smile on his lips as he sipped at his tea. He seemed to be addicted to the stuff lately. It made Harry smile.

"What are you grinning at, Potter?" He asked with wary amusement.

Shaking his head, Harry lifted his scotch to his lips and took a sip. "Nothing. Just you." He said and let his eyes slide back to Draco as if drawn by a magnet.

"What? Have I got flour on my nose or something?" Draco asked with a drawling smirk.

Harry just shook his head and smiled. He wasn't going to tell Draco he looked so down right adorable with that smudge of powered sugar on his cheek that he didn't have the heart to wipe it away for him. "No. It just looks like you're glowing under the moonlight." He murmured with a tender glint in his eyes.

Draco's expression of humor melted a little until an uncertainty and nervousness invaded his gaze. "I'm glowing, eh?" He asked in an unreadable tone of voice.

Frowning, Harry leaned over and cupped his cheek, pulling him into a gentle, languid kiss. His lips opening just the barest amount so that he could nip at Draco's caressingly. "You look beautiful." He murmured against his mouth.

Draco's breath had caught in his throat when their mouths met and now his eyes were half lidded and glazed. "Boys aren't beautiful, Potter." He murmured in return, his amusement filtering back into his voice and gaze.

"Handsome, then." Harry grinned unrepentantly as he threaded his fingers through Draco's amazingly soft hair. "Mesmerizingly handsome."

With a light scoff and an eye roll, Draco leaned back in pulling Harry's bottom lip between his own and favoring it with a teasing lick. "You're so sappy, Harry. How do I put up with you?"

That only earned him wide grin before Harry deepened their kiss. He didn't mind being sappy if it made Draco smile. He didn't mind it one bit.

* * *

Draco sat in a tortuously uncomfortable chair in the General Practice wing of St. Mungo's. His leg would not stop bouncing nervously and his glamour felt heavy and stifling. His heart was beating just a smidgen fast and he felt as if he was on the verge of hyperventilation.

Of course, nobody saw any of this. On the outside he was poised, cool, composed... and a brunet with hazel eyes.

He couldn't imagine what would happen if he showed up at St. Mungo's as himself and it got out. The press would have a field day. They hadn't stopped their harassing ways after the war. There were gossip columns forever being written about him and his family, Harry and his family. Really, no one even remotely note worthy was spared.

So, here he was. Glamoured with brown hair, plain hazel eyes, a slightly crooked nose and a wholly unremarkable chin. He looked like any average Joe Shmoe. It was perfect. Of course he was still dressed impeccably. Just because you were unrecognizable didn't mean that a Malfoy could be seen in public dressed any other way.

A young, kind looking nurse stepped out from behind the desk with a file open in her hands.

"Evans, James? We're ready for you." She said to the waiting room at large waiting for the aforementioned patient to step forward.

Draco stood gracefully from his seat and strode toward her with a polite nod. She smiled at him and directed him to one of the examination rooms.

Inside pretty much looked like every other hospital room he'd ever been to. White. And gray. Very boring and bland. There were two visitor chairs that matched the ones in the waiting room and a larger one with rollers on the legs in front of a small desk. The examination table was at the far end of the room and covered in a long sheet of sterile, thin parchment.

"Healer Strohs will be with you in just a moment." The nurse informed him kindly before she slid his file into the slot on the front of the door and shut it behind her.

Draco let out a shaky breath and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. This was it, he thought. A faint ball of excitement bounced a little in his belly.

Shaking his head, he had to smile just the tiniest bit as he relaxed in another uncomfortable chair to await the healer.

Soon enough, the door opened again and a middle aged man with a receding hairline and a bit of a belly strode in wearing a healer's white robe and reading Draco's file.

"Good morning." He said as he sat down in the larger chair without looking up from the file. There was a small frown on his face. "I'm Healer Strohs. What can I do for you today?"

For the first time the man glanced up and met Draco's glamoured eyes with his. He seemed professional, stern, no nonsense, fair. Draco felt himself relax just a smidgen more.

Draco flashed him a greeting smile and nodded his head. "Good morning. Actually, I would like to ask you a few questions before we get started." He said, casually nonchalant.

The healer flicked his eyes down to the fabricated file in his hand and back up to the man sitting opposite him. There were holes in the paperwork he'd received on this patient and something in the way the man held himself didn't seem quite right for his appearance. Almost too refined for his rather common face.

"Alright." Healer Strohs nodded and leaned back in his seat propping his elbow up on the small desk next to him. "Go ahead, Mr. Evans."

Draco nodded again and took an imperceptible, deep breath. "I'm sure you've noticed a few discrepancies with my file." He said and waited for the healer to nod before continuing. "That is because I do not wish for my identity to be known until I'm sure that I can trust you."

He had put all of his cards on the table and was now waiting for the healer to acknowledge them or fold.

Healer Strohs studied the man, _Mr. James Evans_, for a time before straightening his posture. "I have taken a Healer's oath to help all those in need of my services. To never harm another being while I am under the title of Healer." He stated very precisely and very unwavering. "I assure you, Mr. Evans, that I take my duties, my job, and my oath very seriously."

Draco felt a lightening in his chest and had to keep himself from sighing in relief. He met the healer's eyes once again and stared directly into them when he asked, "Does that also apply to former Death Eaters?"

One of the healer's eyebrows rose and that was the only indication of emotion other than professionalism that moved over him. He sat back in his chair again and Draco could tell that he was searching his glamoured face again for any hint of recognition.

"The war is long over, Mr. Evans. Most have moved on from it. I would no more turn away a former Death Eater than I would the Minister of Magic. They are both beings and have long since been deemed equal."

This time it was Draco's turn to raise an eyebrow. That was a most satisfactory answer if ever he heard one. He let himself smirk a little. "I'm glad you think so." He said and let his glamour drop.

He tensed waiting for the healer's reaction. All he got was a visual once over and an unimpressed look. It made him feel inordinately better.

"I assume there is a reason for all of this subterfuge other than your obvious notoriety?" The healer inquired neutrally.

Draco smirked again and nodded. "I believe so, but before we get to that, I have brought my real medical files with me." He reached into the inside of his robe and withdrew a moderately thick file with bent and loose papers peaking out of the sides.

Healer Strohs reached over and took it from him. He flipped it open to the beginning and began to review it. He hummed and skimmed his finger over an entry here and there until he frowned once and glanced up.

"You had the dragon pox at the age of seven." He stated.

"Yes." Draco nodded and folded his hands in his lap. "I was hospitalized for a fortnight until I stopped sneezing sparks from my nose." He grinned a little in amusement. "It was not a very serious case."

Healer Strohs glanced back down at the file. "So it would seem," He drawled, reminding Draco just the littlest bit of Snape. It made him like the healer even more.

"You were hospitalized once more for a broken arm at the age of eleven." He inquired, eyes not leaving the sheets in front of him.

Draco shifted a little uncomfortably. "Ah, yes. I was thrown from a horse."

Strohs pinned him with his gaze from over the file before turning back to it. "Let's see... A sprained wrist and bruised tailbone in your second year at Hogwarts." He'd moved on to Madam Pomfrey's notes.

"Quidditch." He answered brusquely, then grumbled, "Didn't even catch the Snitch in that one."

The healer let out a snort of amusement before he turned the page and continued on. His eyes widened a little and Draco had to force himself not react. "You were attacked by a hippogriff?"

Draco rolled his eyes then. "Yeah. Bloody chicken slashed my arm open."

Healer Strohs stared at him for a minute before deciding that he really didn't want to ask and turned back to his reading. That was when he got the biggest surprise of all.

"You're a Matris?" He asked turning his eyes once more on a suddenly very composed and calm Draco Malfoy.

He nodded. "Yes. It had been assumed that the trait was extinct in my family and came as a bit of a surprise when I started exhibiting the signs of a maturing Matris." God, what a terrifying surprise that had been.

"I can imagine that it was very shocking." Healer Strohs agreed diplomatically before turning back to the file and reading on.

"Nothing more of interest, it looks like..." He trailed off when he got to an entry from Draco's fifth year. "You were admitted to the hospital wing for a severe nosebleed in your fifth year." He looked up for clarification.

Draco scowled and a snarl pulled at his lips surprising the healer with its angered vehemence. "That would have been a rather powerful Bat-Bogey hex." He said through gritted teeth. God, he hated the Weaslette even more now for what she did to Harry and the children, but having that incident brought up just made the hatred boil hotter.

Healer Strohs quickly looked away and chose not to ask what exactly a "bat-bogey hex" was. It didn't seem wise at that time.

There was only one entry left from Madam Pomfrey's meticulous notes and it made the Healer stiffen in alarm. When he spoke, his voice was professional, but he was apprehensive of what the answer to his inquiry might be.

"Near the end of your sixth year, you suffered from a Dark curse that lacerated your chest causing severe damage and blood loss. Upon admittance, you were then treated for exhaustion and malnutrition." Whatever he was expecting from his new patient, he didn't get it.

Draco just nodded calmly and looked him in the eyes. "It was a Dark curse that created sword-like slashes across my chest. At that time I was struggling to perform an impossible task, failing at the risk of losing my family and my life; stress that would account for the exhaustion and malnutrition." He said, voice emotionless.

Healer Strohs simply nodded and flipped through the rest of the papers. "It says you were admitted here at St. Mungo's on the night of the Final Battle. You were treated for first and second degree burns, a black eye, and some minor nicks and scrapes."

Draco met his questioning gaze and fought down the old pain he often felt when thinking about that night. "I was caught in a room being devoured by Fiendfyre and received a black eye during the battle, obviously." He rolled his eyes, to cover up his discomfort.

Healer Strohs didn't say any more on this entry and there was nothing of interest in the rest of the file. Their family healer had retired some years ago, hence the reason why Mr. Malfoy was now sitting in his examination room.

"Is there anything that wouldn't be in this file?" He asked.

Draco nodded again. "I have a seven year-old son from my ex-wife and I'm in an intimate relationship." No need to specify just how intimate. The healer knew what he meant.

"With a man or a woman?" He asked making a quick notation on a new sheet he'd spelled into the file.

Draco smirked and stretched in the uncomfortable chair. "Definitely a man." He drawled causing the healer to give him a disapproving look for his display. He only chuckled.

"Alright, Mr. Malfoy. Are you here for a general check-up or for a specific ailment?" He asked turning back to his patient and pushing the file aside.

Draco straightened as well and once again, a flicker of nervousness entered his face. "Both actually."

Strohs nodded and turned back to the file picking up the muggle pen he'd set beside it. He found them quicker and neater than carting around a quill and ink-well. "What are your symptoms?"

He received a small awkward cough before the other man started to answer. "Frequent urination, exhaustion, strange cravings, increased appetite, and oversensitivity to smell."

Pausing in his note taking, Strohs glanced up at his patient and met his unreadable eyes. "Alright." He said slowly. "Let's move onto the check-up, shall we?"

Draco agreed and stood up to slip his outer robe off before seating himself on the examination table.

"First, I would like to have a look at your Dark Mark and the area affected by the Dark curse to make sure there isn't any lingering Dark magic." Strohs told him and Draco started to unbutton his dress shirt without having him ask.

Slipping it off his shoulders, Draco shook out the wrinkles and draped it next to him on the table in a practiced move. Storhs waited until he was finished before he moved forward with his wand and began his preliminary scans and diagnostic spells.

Draco sat patiently and did everything he was asked. He breathed deep, he coughed, he raised his arm, he wiggled his toes, he stuck out tongue and said "aaaaaaa". Through it all he was getting more and more jittery waiting for the time when the healer began to actually scan for the cause of his symptoms.

Strohs stepped back after his general check-up and nodded making another notation on his file. "You seem to be in perfect health. A tad thin, but still within your healthy weight range."

"Good. Can you see to diagnosing my symptoms, now?" He asked just this side of barely polite.

Unruffled, Strohs simply gave him an amused smile before raising his wand once more and starting a more complicated diagnostic spell from his head all the way down to...

He stopped when he reached Draco's belly and started to murmur off another volley of spells. Draco was about to start biting his nails. A very un-Malfoy, Potter-like habit. He sat on his hands.

It seemed to take forever, but finally the healer refocused his attention on Draco as a whole and holstered his wand. "Mr. Malfoy, after numerous scans and spells I have come to the conclusion that you are-"

"Pregnant." The word left him like a weight tumbling from his shoulders. He could almost feel the stress unwinding from his tense muscles and the panic fleeing his belly. Once he'd said it, once it had been confirmed the thought of being pregnant didn't seem like such a frightening thing after all. He let a small smile curve at his lips.

Healer Strohs watched the emotions and thoughts flit over his patient's face for a moment before speaking again. "You are pregnant, yes." He finished. "I take it that this was not a surprise?"

Draco turned his unwavering eyes on the healer and snorted wryly. "Actually, it's a complete surprise."

That made the older man frown in puzzlement. "But not an unpleasant surprise." He commented taking in Draco's still slightly smiling mouth and twinkling eyes.

"No." He shook his head and began to tug his shirt back on. "No, not unpleasant at all. Just unexpected."

Understanding softened Strohs's face and he nodded sagely. "The muggle prophylactic devices aren't nearly as-" He was cut off by a half amused, half disgusted bark of laughter.

Draco quickly cut his hilarity down to a stifled chuckle as he buttoned up his shirt and tucked it back into his trousers. "I'm sorry, but no." He smirked, humor plain in his eyes. "There were no -muggle- devices being used. We used _Tutela Fertilitas_."

The healer raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Are you quite sure? _Tutela Fertilitas_ is one of the most affective contraceptive spells in the magical world."

"Yes, I'm aware." Draco drawled amusedly. "That's why we used it. However, it seems to have found the couple it could not conquer."

He still could not believe that spell would have malfunctioned. Mr. Malfoy didn't seem too surprised, but he couldn't think of a single thing that would render it useless. "Did you use it on more than one occasion or different spells on different occasions?"

A light blush colored Draco's pale cheeks as he hopped off the table and retrieved his outer robe. "Same spell, all occasions." He answered quickly. "And we did not forget a single casting." He added because he could see the next question on the tip of the healer's tongue.

"I don't understand." Healer Strohs admitted. "That should not have happened. The spell should have made conception impossible."

A strange look came of Draco's face as he seated himself in his previously vacated seat. "The impossible is always possible in some capacity, Healer Strohs. I think your questions will be answered when you meet my," he didn't quite know what to call Harry to this man, he settled for, "lover."

It didn't sound as fleeting as boyfriend, nor as sterile as partner, they weren't married yet so he couldn't call him husband, but lover seemed to work. He did love Harry an exorbitant amount.

Shifting his mind back on the present, he turned to the healer. "Now that we've established that I have defied the odds, what else did your spells show you?"

Healer Strohs nodded in acknowledgement of the subject change and seated himself in his chair. "You are near to five and a half weeks pregnant. The baby is strong and healthy, as you appear to be as well. I would like you to start taking a once daily prenatal supplement potion. It's standard in all first pregnancies." He assured him when Draco's brow furrowed. "The potion guarantees that the baby is receiving the nutrients it needs as your body and magic adapt to pregnancy for the first time. You will be taken off of it, most likely near to the end of your first trimester."

Draco's frown cleared and he motioned for the healer to continue. As long as nothing was wrong with the baby there was no need to panic.

Healer Strohs pulled a sheet of parchment out of a drawer in the little desk and handed it over. "This is a list of foods and activities you should avoid."

It was all standard fair really, Draco thought as he scanned it quickly. No alcohol, raw meat, pipe smoking, or picking up cat poop. Literally.

He glanced up at the healer. "I shouldn't come in contact with feline feces?" He raised an eyebrow. Not that it was a problem for him. They didn't even own a cat.

Strohs gave a slightly amused cough before sobering somewhat quickly. "It can cause severe birth defects."

There was a sudden sinking feeling in his gut. "Should I stay away from cats in general, then? Should I be avoiding all animals?"

"Animal contact should not be a problem, unless you plan on cleaning up after them." He clarified with a reassuring voice.

"What about reptiles?" Came the unexpected question. "Snakes and birds." Draco clarified. "We have a rather large flock of white peacocks at the Manor and I handle owls on a regular basis."

Healer Strohs stared at him for a moment before deciding that this was one of those things he would just have to wait for an explanation. "Once again, it should be fine."

Draco nodded and seemed inordinately relieved. "Is there anything else?" He asked.

"I would like to have you come in every month for a check-up, then every two weeks in your final trimester." He said as he stood and held out a hand for Draco to shake.

"Of course. Would it be alright if I continue making appointments under the name of James Evans?" He asked as they shook hands. "It would be very problematic if the _Prophet_ found out."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Strohs nodded. "Just make an appointment with the front desk. I'll keep your files under that name as well."

Draco gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you. I'll see you then." He murmured a spell and his glamour flowed over his face seamlessly before he turned to the door and disappeared out of it.

The healer watched him go for a moment before shaking his head in wonder. Never had he thought one of the most famous Death Eaters and war veterans would step through his door. It was astonishing really.

He'd always heard that the Malfoys were Dark and manipulative and rather intimidating. Of course now that Harry Potter had vouched for them at their trial, there was a lot less said about them that would hint at misconduct or corruption.

There were still whispers, as to be expected, but not as many as there had been before the Second War. From what he'd seen of young Draco Malfoy, he was pure-blooded to be sure, proud, a little arrogant, cocky, and generally like anyone else that had stepped into his office.

It will be interesting to continue being his healer, Strohs decided. He was a very intriguing young man as it was.

Shaking his head at his own thoughts, Healer Strohs slipped Draco Malfoy's file inside the James Evans file and banished it to the alphabetical patient records. It slipped smoothly between the Evalopes and the Everettes.

* * *

(1) _mon petit chou_ : my little cabbage

TBC...


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo

**Title**: Yours, Mine, and Ours  
**Author**: AlexJanna  
**Pairing**: H/D, past H/G and D/A mentioned  
**Rating**: PG-13 (overall)  
**Genre**: Au, Romance, Post-Hogwarts/War  
**Warnings**: SS(PS)-DH compliant, EWE, future m-preg, reference and discussion of difficult topics  
**Word Count**: (For this Ch.) 6,162  
**Disclaimer**: HP is not mine. Plot and OCs for this fic are though.  
**Status**: WIP  
**Summary**: After his wife leaves him and abandons their children abruptly, Harry doesn't think he or his kids will ever be able to heal. But a chance meeting with an old nemesis and his son in Diagon, various childish schemes, and a little bit of quick upheaval make Harry realize that just maybe everything isn't as irreparable or dire as he thought.  
**A/N**: Inspired by the classic movies _Houseboat_ (1958) and _Yours, Mine, and Ours_ (1968). I love fics with their kids in them and have never really written one before for this fandom. This idea just came to me while I was watching _Houseboat_ and started flowing like water. I hope you all enjoy this one!

I am terribly sorry about the horribly long wait. It came to my attention that it has been almost a year since I updated this story. That's just not on. So, here is the next chapter, I hope you faithful readers like it and forgive me for being negligent. And Thank you to everyone who has been commenting and sending me messages urging me to continue this story. I have not abandoned it or ya'll.

*****Chapter Twenty-Two*****

Harry sat on the garden patio watching the kids play by himself. Draco had somewhere he needed to be, so here he was, sipping tea and trying to ignore the enormous peacock that had been eying him hungrily for the last twenty minutes.

He worried that there was a problem, but Draco had simply given him a peculiar smile and promised to be back sometime around lunch. Narcissa and Andromeda had taken to having morning tea together in the solarium and he was left by himself to make sure the kids didn't get into trouble.

Thankfully, Lucius has seen fit to leave the wards up in the gardens so he didn't have to constantly worry about one of the kids being injured by Dark plants.

"Harry!" He looked over to see Scorpius running towards him with a slightly worried frown in his face.

He set his tea down and placed both feet on the stone in preparation to lunge from his seat in case something was wrong. "What is it?" He asked, concern tinting his words. "What happened?"

Scorpius stopped just in front of him and gave an exasperated huff of annoyance. "I ripped my trousers!" He moaned and turned sideways so Harry could see the large split up his leg. "Dad's going to kill me! I wasn't supposed to even wear these to play in."

Feeling his heart rate go back to normal, Harry just sighed in equal parts amusement and relief. "Alright, don't panic." He said with a grin as he pulled out his wand. "We'll mend them then I think it would be best to go and change before your dad comes home."

Scorpius deflated before his eyes and nodded happily. A murmured spell and the tattered split in his trouser leg sewed itself back up again. "Thanks Harry." The little boy grinned and gave him a quick hug before he darted off again and raced into the house to change into his play clothes.

Harry watched until Scorpius disappeared into the Manor before shaking his head and turning back to his tea.

"You are handy to have around aren't you, Mister Potter?" A smirking voice said from the other side of the table.

Jumping, Harry snapped his head around to see Cassiopeia seat herself primly in the chair across from him. "What other spells can you do besides common household charms?" She inquired condescendingly.

Harry eyed her suspiciously for a moment. She was supposed to be having tea with Narcissa and Andromeda. That she was sitting across from him instead made him wary. "I can do a fair few non-household spells." He nodded and poured her a cup of tea to be polite.

Her lips curved at his action and she lifted the tea to her lips, pinky held aloft and her eyes sharp and mocking. "How useful." She murmured sardonically.

A shudder ran up Harry's spine and he forced himself to turn away from her and look back over the gardens.

"Are you enjoying your time in England?" He asked as casually as he could.

Cassiopeia just grinned at him. "Oh, very much so. It's always so wonderful to spend time with my son and grandchildren." She paused and pursed her lips. "And Narcissa, as well." She added quite grudgingly.

Harry had to hide a smirk. "Draco was telling me that you spend the majority of your time in France." He started, changing the subject rather tactfully he thought.

"Mm, yes." She sipped her tea and watched the children's heads pop in and out of the garden. "France has always been my home, and when my husband died I just didn't feel the need to stay in England. Lucius was already grown and married and Draco was no longer an infant." She sounded a bit wistful now and Harry watched her from the corner of his eye.

She seemed to really care about her family. At least her blood family. She didn't seem so keen on Narcissa. That amused him.

"Where did you grow up, Mister Potter?" She inquired suddenly. "You can't have always been in London."

He felt his face heat for a moment before he lowered his tea to its saucer and cleared his throat. "Actually, no. I grew up in Surrey with my mother's sister and her family until I started at Hogwarts."

A sympathetic looked crossed Cassiopeia's face almost too fast for him to catch before it gave way to that sharp glint once more. "And your mother's family is...?" She asked, sounding polite, but just a bit too casual.

Harry wanted to roll his eyes. "Muggle." He answered bluntly bringing a disdainful sniff to her face.

"Yes, well. How unfortunate for you."

A scowl curled at his brow. It was unfortunate, but not for the reasons she is implying. He felt a little bit of indignation swelling in his gut. He opened his mouth, but before he could retort Lucius interrupted him.

"Mother, are you trying to insult Potter?" He asked as he strode onto the patio with a folded letter in his hand. "Kindly refrain from gaining his low opinion." He drawled with an amused lilt to his voice, but his eyes said he was almost deadly serious.

Cassiopeia sniffed again and raised a hand for Lucius to kiss. "Really, Lucius. Harry and I were just having a little chat. Nothing to get so alarmed about."

Lucius took his mother's hand and pressed his lips to the back of it in reflex. "I'm sure, Mother." He agreed dryly. "Narcissa and Andromeda had wondered where you'd got off to. I believe they were quite insulted that you had chosen to leave their company."

The older witch just wrinkled her nose. "Oh, tosh. They were glad to be rid of me. Just as I was glad to be rid of them." She sneered, looking remarkable like both Lucius and Draco, despite the dark hair. "But I suppose one cannot ignore propriety."

"No." Lucius agreed with an amused wrinkle at his eyes.

Cassiopeia stopped just short of pouting. "I suppose I should return then, but I was having such an intriguing time getting to know Draco's _amour_(1)." She cast a grinning conspiratorial look at Harry as she stood.

Lucius's jaw gave a tick as he kissed his mother's hand once more. "No doubt Potter will be more than eager to continue your chat at another time, but Narcissa really was looking forward to your presence at tea."

She cast her son a bland look and pulled her hand from his to pat his cheek condescendingly. "_I am your mother, Lucius. You cannot lie to me._(2)" She murmured to him warningly in her native tongue before kissing his cheek and turning back to give Harry a falsely sweet smile.

"Thank you for the tea and the _tête à tête_(3), Harry_._" Cassiopeia said, brushing imaginary wrinkles from her dress. "We really must do it again soon."

Harry just nodded, petrified of opening his mouth and saying anything more as he watched her practically glide back into the house with an arrogance few others, but the very wealthy and the very French could master.

Both men waited a beat to be sure she was gone before Lucius's shoulders relaxed and Harry slumped in his chair.

"You mum is a nightmare." Harry told Lucius boldly.

Lucius just grinned ruefully and summoned a house-elf to bring him a glass of scotch. "I know. Sometimes I think my father contracted Dragon Pox just to get away from her."

A laugh was surprised out of him and Harry shook his head in disbelief. "That's horrible." He gasped through his chuckles.

Lucius just shrugged and sipped at his drink. He produced the folded letter he'd appeared with and slid it across the table toward Harry.

Frowning in interest, Harry picked it up and scanned over it. He blushed. "Ah."

"Hm." Lucius agreed with a knowing glint in his grey eyes. "Care to explain?"

Harry shrugged and placed the letter back on the table. "It wasn't right." He said. "Your privacy shouldn't have been invaded like that, so I went and informed Kingsley of the situation."

"From what Minister Shacklebolt told me, you were quite -forceful- with your information." Lucius raised an eyebrow at him daring him to refute it.

Harry's blush deepened in his cheeks. "I was a bit angry that the Ministry would put you under any kind of surveillance when you'd had a full pardon on my public testimony." He answered with a little bit more defiance than he had wanted to show previously.

Lucius just flashed him an absent smile and sipped at his scotch again. "Regardless, Mr. Potter, I'm thankful for your intervention, as it were. As you read in that letter, the invasion of my privacy was not Ministry sanctioned."

"No." Harry shook his head and looked back out toward the gardens. "I had figured as much. Kingsley would have spoken to me first about a possible need to monitor your movements even before I developed a closer acquaintance with your family."

"You are truly that close to the Minister?" He asked with a neutral inquiring tone.

Harry could practically see that Slytherin mind working beneath his long silver blond hair. It made him smile. "Yeah. He was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. That's how I met him." He grinned wryly. "And he did come to Teddy's party as well."

Lucius nodded his head and chuckled a bit. "You never know with politicians, Potter. They will put themselves through more boring functions for the betterment of their own careers than any normal person would be willing to suffer."

A light laugh fell from Harry's lips and he shook his head. "Kingsley's not like that. He was an Auror before he was Minister."

"Ah. So he suffers out of a sense of duty then." Lucius nodded with such serious understanding that Harry just burst out laughing again.

He could see the teasing glint in those grey eyes that looked so much like the Draco's. Harry just shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "You know, I never thought we'd ever get on."

"Mm." Lucius agreed and crossed his legs regally as he downed the rest of his scotch and snapped his fingers for more. "Given our past, it would have been highly unlikely."

"Look at me and Draco." Harry said. "We've hated each other since day one and now look at us."

"Mm." The older man hummed again with a shrewd look in his eyes that made Harry blush again and wish he'd kept his mouth shut. "You do seem to have gotten past your differences rather effectively."

God, why had he said that? He and Lucius were getting on better now, but he feared that if he drew too much attention to his and Draco's -cough- intimacy, no threat of a return to Azkaban would be great enough to stop Lucius from skinning him alive.

He was saved from saying something that he would regret by his lovely, beautiful, amazing daughter.

"Grandpa-Lucius!" Lily cheered before launching herself at the older man and landing against his crossed legs.

Lucius looked a little alarmed when her chest impacted with his knee, but seeing as she kept clinging to him he felt it safe to assume she was not injured. "Lily, how are you this morning?"

She beamed up at him and proceeded to climb him like a ladder. "I'm fine." She grinned. "Can I have tea with you and Daddy? I wanted some before, but Grand-mère was here and she's kind of scary."

Harry fought the urge to put his head in his hands. His daughter was at that age where anything could pop out of her mouth and most of it was halfway insulting without meaning it. Wait. When did any of his children start calling Lucius Malfoy, _Grandpa-Lucius_?

Lucius kept his face impassive as he lifted Lily easily from her crouch in his lap and seated her primly across his thighs facing the table. He absently smoothed out her little summer dress and placed a steadying hand around her rib cage.

"Grand-mère is somewhat intimidating, isn't she?" Lucius agreed with a wry twist of his lips. "Miss Lily, wouldn't you rather have a chair of your own?" He inquired blandly.

Lily turned to look at him and just shook her head, her auburn hair flying around her. "Nope! You're comfy."

Harry's jaw nearly dropped. Apparently his children didn't find Lucius Malfoy anywhere near as intimidating or frightful as most of the rest of the populace did.

"Very well, then." Lucius nodded to her seriously before lifting one hand to brush her hair away from her face lightly while he used the other to snap for a house-elf.

Tibby popped up next to the table and held herself stiff and respectful. Her eyes however grew even larger when she got a good look at Master Lucius's lap adornment.

"What kind of tea would you like, Lily?" Lucius asked kindly as the little girl leaned against his chest and smiled down at the house-elf.

"Raspberry Zinger!" She cheered causing her father to snort and cover his mouth with his hand lest he burst out laughing again.

Lucius, of course, looked like he just swallowed a lemon whole. "A muggle tea?" He inquired with a slightly disgusted sneer on his lips. "Are you quite sure?"

Lily just grinned and nodded her head. "It's so good!" She gushed. "And it's Draco's favorite." She said with a serious nod as if that was all she needed to approve of it.

Of course, Lucius looked like he was caught between being amused and being even more disgusted. "I see. Tibby, bring Mistress Lily her- Raspberry Zinger, then."

"Oh! And the doily cookies Miss Cissy likes. Those are my favorite." Lily instructed the elf making her smile indulgently up at the little girl.

Lucius did smirk in amusement, then. "And a plate of Narcissa's cookies, as well."

Tibby nodded her head regally to her Master then smiled brightly at Lily. "Anything for Mistress Lily." She squeaked before she disappeared.

It was difficult, but Harry was able to keep his grin just this side of splitting his face. Lily had Lucius Malfoy, former right hand to the Dark Lord, wrapped around her little finger. He couldn't have been more proud.

"Potter, it would seem that your daughter has my house-elves eating out of the palm of her hand." Lucius drawled lazily as he moved a large hand to Lily's back.

Lily scrunched up her nose at that. "No, I don't. They eat on their little tea-party tables and plates."

"A figure of speech, my dear." He assured her before flashing Harry a smirking look.

He grinned in return. "That's my Lily." He said making his little girl smile in delight before she began to chatter at Lucius about something or other.

"And I have a blue dress with yellow flowers on it, but I don't like that one cause it doesn't have pockets." She stuck her hands in the pockets on her current dress in demonstration. "I really like my pink dress cause it's got pretty ruffles on the bottom and Miss Cissy said it made me look like a lady. But my green dress is fun too because it has a no-stain charm that Grandma put on it and I can play in it and-"

"Lily, wouldn't you rather have this conversation with Narcissa?" Lucius interrupted her, looking somewhat out of his depth. Harry just grinned into his tea cup.

"No." Lily said flatly and continued on with her running monologue. Lucius continued to look more and more lost.

Another tea set appeared with Lily's Raspberry Zinger and she cheered again in excitement. After letting Lucius pour her a steaming cup she followed his instructions and used the sterling silver tea spoon to stir the hot tea and help it cool off.

"Here! Try a sip." Lily instructed him and held the cup in front of Lucius's face, one of his hands underneath her own to steady it.

He stared at the dark red liquid with reluctance. "I really don't think-"

"You have to! It's really good!" She insisted and started pushing the cup closer to his face.

Sighing resignedly, Lucius carefully took the tea cup from her and sipped at the steaming tea lightly. His face was utterly blank for a moment. Harry and Lily both watched him for any sign of approval or disgust.

After a surprisingly short wait, Lucius swallowed and handed the cup back. "That was- interesting." He conceded. "Not the worst tea I've ever had."

Lily just beamed at him and started to sip at it herself, lightly dipping her doily cookies in the tea as she went.

Harry couldn't help himself, he grinned.

* * *

Draco knew he'd been acting odd ever since he'd returned to the Manor just after lunch. But he also knew he wasn't the only one.

His mother had been casting him worried looks that were none too subtle while his grand-mère had been smirking at him knowingly. It was rather frustrating. At this rate, Harry would figure it out before he even had time to think of how to tell him.

A sigh broke through his lips as he sipped at his after dinner tea. He'd refused his habitual glass of brandy making his father's eyebrow rise speculatively. Draco had to force himself to keep from growling in annoyance.

Harry, of course, seemed completely oblivious to the undercurrent in the room.

Draco tucked a lock of hair behind his ear and managed not to roll his eyes. He can't believe that Potter knocked him up. Well, he could believe it, considering he'd gotten checked out by a Healer, but he had a hard time processing that he'd gotten him knocked up _despite_ a contraceptive spell. It was unheard of.

He would start looking back over all the times they'd made love, looking for the one time that they'd forgotten to cast it, or had cast it wrong and then he would remember that one little conversation they'd had what seemed like forever ago.

_...all three of our children were 'surprises'..._

He almost wanted to laugh. Almost.

But now he was pregnant with Harry's child. He smiled a little as a warm feeling floated up through him from his belly. And he was going to have to tell Harry and he didn't know what he would say to that.

They had discussed maybe having more children, but it had been implied that it would be a ways in the future. They were both still so new to their relationship and there were the children to think about. What would Teddy, James, Scorpius, Albus, and Lily think about having a new brother or sister?

It was worrying, but not so much so that Draco felt close to panic. He knew that no matter what, he would get through it. He and Scorpius and this new baby would get through it.

They may survive at the end of it all, but Draco dearly wished that they would survive with Harry and the kids with them.

A wide yawn interrupted his thoughts and he felt a warm delicate hand on his arm. Glancing over he found his grand-mère's grey eyes boring into him.

"You look tired, _mon petit chou_." Cassiopeia murmured loud enough to draw everyone's attention. "Perhaps you should retire early."

Draco flicked her a warning glance, which was answered with an unrepentant smirk.

Looking back toward the others in the room Draco noted that his mother was staring at him with wide realizing eyes before her perfect lips split into an unmanageable smile. He sighed. Looked like his secret was fairly well out.

"Oh, Draco." Narcissa gasped before rushing to his side and fluttering her hands around him not knowing where put them in her excitement. "If you're tired you shouldn't exert yourself! Are you feeling alright? Would you like to lie down?" She settled for pressing both hands to her own chest.

Draco felt his cheeks start to burn and he sent her a glare. "_Mother_." He growled, shooting a worried glance in Harry's direction. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

She paused in her fluttering and blinked at him before her confusion cleared and she schooled her expression somewhat. "Of course you are, dear." She said sounding much more composed. "But perhaps you would like Harry to walk you up to bed."

He wanted to bang his head against a wall. "I was just going to suggest that." He said before standing and turning to see Harry watching the scene with a bemused and completely confused look on his face. "Harry, would you like to head up to bed, now, or do you want to stay down here a while longer?"

Harry shook himself from his stupor and gave his lover a faint grin. "I'm actually pretty tired too. I think I'll head up with you, now."

Draco felt relief wash over him and he smiled. "Alright. Goodnight everyone." He said turned back to his parents and Grand-mère.

Before he could move away, however, Narcissa pulled him into a tight hug and kissed his cheek, her eyes suspiciously bright. Cassiopeia stood, as well and grasped one of his hands in her and kissed his other cheek.

"_Blessings, my little dragon. Your man will not disappoint you._(4)" She whispered to him in lilting French before sitting back down and sipping her brandy as if nothing had happened.

Draco felt his throat tightened, but it didn't start to ache with the strain until his father strode over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Lucius had watched the whole thing from his seat and reached the only conclusion that would explain his mother and his wife acting like they were.

"Sleep well, son." He said and leaned forward to place a rare kiss upon Draco's forehead.

A sudden sob almost escaped him. Draco blamed it on the hormones. He looked up into his father's face and nodded jerkily. "Thank you. Goodnight." He murmured to them once more, Harry doing the same a moment after him, before he turned and almost ran from the room.

He had to get out of there or he just knew he was going to burst into tears. He hadn't cried since Scorpius was born and he certainly wasn't going to start again in front of his parents.

Harry caught up with him on the stairs and took his hand in a reassuring comforting grasp. Draco glanced over and gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand in return. They didn't speak until they had checked on the children and were safely ensconced in Draco's room.

* * *

Lucius leaned back in his chair and sipped at his brandy thoughtfully. "Narcissa, when were you planning on telling me you suspected that Draco was... with child?" He inquired into the quiet room.

His wife just flashed him a small smile and got up to pour herself a glass of sherry from the sidebar. "And have you spoil everything by cornering poor Harry and making all kinds of unpleasant threats?" She asked innocently. "Not likely, dear." She smiled at him again.

He huffed indignantly, but didn't refute her. Making unpleasant threats would have been the least of what he would have done to Potter.

"Do not pout, _mon fils_(5)." Cassiopeia scolded lightly, swallowing down the rest of her brandy and holding her glass out to Narcissa in silent demand for a refill. "I do not think Draco would have thanked you for rendering his _amour_ -how do you say- ah, impotent." She flashed him a sharp smile.

Lucius scowled and crossed his legs a little more gingerly at the thought. "I would not have gone quite that far, Mother." He denied, sullenly. "It would have been prudent to return the fear of God to him, however."

Narcissa snorted rather unladylike and strode away from the sidebar, passing Cassiopeia her refilled glass on her way, and seated herself on the arm of Lucius's chair. "Lucius, that boy has never been properly afraid of you. What makes you think that now, after defeating the Dark Lord, a career with the Aurors, and raising three-_four_ children that you would be able to make him feel any sort of fear?"

He growled in the back of his throat and began to pout again, ignoring his mother's disapproving frown. "Potter never did have the good sense God gave a mule."

"Of course not, dear." Narcissa agreed soothingly and combed her fingers through his long hair. "Regardless, he is the father of Draco's child and as such is a part of this family. No threats."

He looked up at her with a pleading look. "But Cissa, I cannot let this pass unpunished."

"Tosh." Narcissa cut him off. "Grasping at straws is very unbecoming, love." She told him as she took a rather large sip of sherry.

"Besides," Cassiopeia added with a truly mischievous smirk, "from what I've seen of Mister Potter, I doubt very much that Draco didn't at least enjoy himself."

Narcissa was surprised into a chuckled and Lucius dropped his head to his hands with a groan.

* * *

Harry closed the door behind him and turned to see Draco standing in front of the bed with his back turned.

"Hey," he called softly as he walked forward and wrapped his arms around Draco's middle, resting his chin on his shoulder. "What was all that down there?"

Draco gave a weak snort of amusement and turned his head enough to feel his cheek pressed against Harry's. His stomach had begun to turn nervously and he was hoping fervently that he didn't start to have morning sickness right then and there.

"It was about the appointment I had this morning." He answered quietly, wrapping his hands around Harry's against his belly and giving them a squeeze.

Harry's brow furrowed and he tilted his head down to press his lips to Draco's neck. "Is everything alright?" He asked. He didn't know exactly what the appointment had been, but Draco had been jumpy all through breakfast and it was plain to see that something had happened when he'd returned from it.

Draco felt a small smile pull at his lips, the happiness he'd felt earlier returning despite his nerves. "Yeah, everything's fine." He murmured quietly before turning around in Harry's hold and sliding his arms around his waist pressing their bodies closer together. "I just had to see a Healer."

Previously enjoying their change in position, now Harry reared back in surprise and concern. "A Healer? Why? Are you sick? Why didn't you tell me?"

Silencing him with a soft kiss on his slightly parted lips, Draco gave him a reassuring smile. "Clean bill of health, Potter." Then he smirked. "I'm just pregnant."

Everything went uncomfortably still. Harry's body went rigid and eyes stared blankly into Draco's for a moment. A moment long enough to cause doubt and panic to well up in Draco's chest.

Harry didn't think he was hearing correctly, or at all. He could have sworn Draco said he was- "Pregnant?"

Watching the completely blank expression on his lover's face was not reassuring. Draco leaned further away from him, but kept a stubborn hold around his waist all the same. "Yeah, Potter. I'm pregnant."

"Oh." Harry blinked then opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, only choked sounds coming out. "But I... we... How..." He paused closed his eyes for second then opened them again, pure confusion reflected in them. "Wait, what?"

It would have been terribly funny if Draco wasn't so absolutely sure he was going to throw up from panic. Harry was not taking this at all as he had hoped.

Taking a deep breath, Draco looked directly into Harry's eyes. "You got me pregnant. I am carrying your baby. You're going to be a father... again." He stated boldly, clearly. What happened next was quite unexpected.

Harry's face paled and his eyes suddenly rolled into the back of his head. If it wasn't for Draco's arms around him he would have hit the floor in a dead faint.

"Whoa! Harry!" Draco exclaimed as he caught him before his knees could completely give out and kept his weight supported till he dragged Harry the two feet toward the bed and sat him on it.

Draco got him seated and put a none-too gentle hand on the back of his neck and forced his head between his knees. "Breathe, Potter, or you're going to pass out." He commanded, heart sinking in his chest. He hadn't imagined that Harry would have such an adverse reaction.

For his part, the black around Harry's vision started to fade and the weight and warmth of Draco's hand still pressed to the back of his neck helped clear his head as everything started to sink in.

Draco was pregnant. Pregnant with his child. Draco was pregnant... pregnant... pregnant...

"Ohhhh..." Harry groaned and started to hyperventilate again.

Sighing tiredly, Draco began to gently massage the back of Harry's neck and sat himself on the edge of the bed next to him. He ran a shaking hand through Harry's messy black hair. "Harry, Harry, Harry. What am I going to do with you?" He murmured to himself.

The sound of Draco's resigned voice made something snap into place and Harry suddenly felt much clearer. His breathing slowed to a normal pace and he lifted his hands to thread his fingers through his hair. Tilting his head just enough to look at his lover, Harry examined him, seeing everything he hadn't before.

Draco looked pale and tired, but his skin still seemed to glow. He looked beautiful and Harry just stared at him in awe. Despite the shadows Harry now recognized under his eyes and the saddened look on his face Draco had never looked quite so amazing before.

"Draco." He murmured quietly drawing the other man's attention back to him. "Are you really pregnant? This isn't just some joke or you teasing me?"

Sighing, Draco took his hand away from Harry's hair and ran it through his own. "No." He answered quietly. "I'm definitely pregnant. I didn't realize I might be until our trip to Diagon with your cousin and his wife pointed out that my ice cream sundae looked like a pregnant woman's smorgasbord." He shrugged, helplessly flashing Harry a self deprecating smile.

"After that Grand-mère pushed me to see a Healer to confirm it." Draco met Harry's steady green gaze head on. "I'm five weeks pregnant."

"Wow." Harry breathed and let a small smile curl at his lips before his face wrinkled in confusion again. "But we used contraceptive spells."

His laugh surprised them both, but Draco couldn't help it. The irony was just too perfect. "I know!" He gasped, not noticing the complete and total awe Harry was watching him with as he continued to giggle. "I know. I shouldn't have gotten pregnant, but you know what. It's all your fault, Potter."

Harry jolted and sat up completely, shocked and indignant. "What do you mean 'it's all my fault'? I seem to remember you participating in just as much sex as I did!"

"No!" Draco laughed again. It seemed that the farther this conversation went the more he either had to laugh or cry. "Harry, don't you remember telling me that all of your kids were 'surprises'? That Ginny refused to have sex with you because you kept getting her pregnant despite the contraceptive and prophylactic spells? Didn't you ever think about that?"

"I..." Harry blinked at his giggling lover completely stunned. Why did everything have to happen to him? He wondered absently. Why did he always have to defy odds and accomplish the impossible? Finally he snorted and shook his head, not really knowing how to react to this revelation.

"Do I have some sort of Terminator sperm or something?" He mumbled to himself. "They can't bloody be stopped!"

That struck Draco as truly funny. Not just hysterical because otherwise it would make him burst into tears, but honest to goodness funny. It shocked him into silence for a moment, his grey eyes meeting Harry's green blankly before he burst into absolute gales of hilarity and ended up curled in a ball on his bed, tears of mirth streaming down his cheeks.

Harry just stared at his lover with a slight scowl on his face and huffed. "It's really not that funny." He grumbled.

"Oh, but it is!" Draco gasped, wiping futilely at his tears as he propped himself up on an elbow and hit Harry with saddened storm grey eyes that made his heart ache. "You took all the precautions, did everything right and still you have fathered another child. You didn't want to, don't want another one, but still it has happened."

The resignation and finality in Draco's voice was like a bucket of ice water. Harry felt shaken and sucked in a surprised breath taking in the slumped posture and withdrawn expression on his lover's face.

"Draco..." He murmured into the heavy silence that had fallen. "Draco, what- what makes you think that I don't want another child? That I don't want this child?" He asked, reaching out a tentative hand and letting it rest warmly on Draco's shoulder.

The touch of that strong steady hand on his shoulder made Draco's whole body shiver. He peaked at Harry from under his bangs, a resurgence of hope in his chest. "You fainted, Harry." He answered. "You didn't say one intelligible word and you fainted."

A light blush stained Harry's cheeks and he gave an embarrassed chuckled. "Yeah, well. I was little shocked." He flashed Draco a small smile. "If it makes you feel better, I fainted when I found out Ginny was pregnant with James, too."

Draco chuckled quietly at that and nodded. "I guess it does, yeah." He sobered and turned to face Harry completely, grey eyes searching and determined. "So you aren't unhappy that we're having a baby together? You're not disappointed?"

"No!" Harry burst out, grabbing both of Draco's hands in his and squeezing them comfortingly. "Of course not. I'm ecstatic actually. This is amazing!" He pulled Draco to him before he could protest and began peppering his mouth with soft, tingling kisses.

"I love you, Draco." He whispered against Draco's slightly parted, dampened lips. "I love you, so much. And this," he pressed a hand to Draco's belly, "is absolutely amazing."

Draco looked up at Harry through his half lidded grey eyes and felt his cheeks heat up pleasantly. The doubt and disappointment in him had evaporated and all he could think to do was wrap his arms around Harry's neck and pull him back into a deeper kiss.

"Thank you." He breathed against Harry's panting mouth. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." _For loving me and accepting this and being you.  
_  
Harry just looked at him with burning green eyes and grinned.

They fell back against Draco's pillows and Harry took his time stroking his hands over every bit of Draco he could get to. His hands felt shaky and hungry and he indulged them, slowly unbuttoning Draco's shirt and caressing his flushed smooth chest and stomach.

Harry's lips followed his fingers, he spent an inordinate amount of time nibbling on Draco's dusky nipples and lapping down his sternum. Draco watched with heated eyes and panting breaths, his hands caught in Harry's soft messy hair, his body shaking with need.

Kissing his way down Draco's body, Harry stopped when he reached his belly and pulled back to stare at the still flat, muscled expanse. His eyes flicked up and were caught in Draco's deep burning stare. He held his lover's gaze as he lowered his head once more and pressed the softest of kisses to the skin just bellow his belly-button.

Draco's breath caught in his chest and Harry broke their stare, burying his face into the silken skin of his middle. His baby was in there, Harry thought as he pressed his cheek to Draco's belly feeling it rise and fall with his lover's breaths. Draco was carrying their baby right there.

A tender smile stole over his mouth and he resumed his quest to map out Draco's entire body with his fingers, lips, and tongue.

They made love slowly, intensely that night. Their bodies burned together and at one point neither would have been able to tell where one ended and the other began.

When they finally reached completion, their chests heaved with the effort of breathing and their bodies were slicked with sweat and heat. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and refused to let him pull away.

Rolling them onto their side, Harry returned the favor and kept Draco pressed against his body, kept them entwined until their breaths slowed and their eyes finally closed in sleep.

* * *

(1) _amour _: love  
(2) French translation: _Je suis ta mère, Lucius. Vous ne pouvez pas me mentir._  
(3) _tête à tête_ : head to head, or chit-chat, conversation  
(4) French translation: _Bénédictions, mon petit dragon. Votre homme ne vous décevra pas._  
(5) _mon fils_ : my son

TBC...


End file.
